Sweet Potato Brownies
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow!
These nutrient dense brownies are the perfect way to celebrate the love that exists in your life. While Valentine’s traditionally is all about romantic partners, I use this holiday to reflect on all the reasons why I love myself.
Take a moment (while indulging in these brownies, perhaps…) to reflect on how amazing you are. There is no one else like you, and that is something to truly celebrate!!
PS if you are skeptical of sweet potatoes in your brownies, you will absolutely fall in love with the fudgy, amazing texture they create! You can’t detect the taste of them at all, they only add sweetness (and life-span promoting nutrients to your brownies)!
SWEET POTATO BROWNIES
Makes 12 Brownies
Ingredients
2 cups Sweet Potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes) (scrub to wash, but do not peel)
15 soft Medjool Dates, pits removed
1 cup Water
1 cup Oat or Chickpea Flour
3 tablespoons Non-alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa
½ teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 tablespoons Almond Butter
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips or Baking Chocolate, optional (I used Guittard Unsweetened 100% Chocolate Bar)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place dates and 1 cup of water into your blender and allow it to soak for 30 minutes (skip this step if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix).
In a medium pot, put one inch of water and a steamer basket. When the water begins to boil, place the cubed sweet potato in and cover it with a lid. Steam for 8 — 9 minutes until the sweet potato can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove from pot and allow to cool.
In a large bowl mix the flour, cinnamon, cocoa, and baking soda and mix until all ingredients are well combined.
In your blender on top of the dates, add the steamed sweet potatoes, vanilla, and almond butter. Blend on high until it forms a smooth paste, about 1-2 minutes. You may need to periodically scrape the edges down with a rubber spatula if the ingredients are getting stuck on the edge of your machine depending on which blender you are using.
Fold the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and place the brownie batter into the baking pan. Top with chocolate chips or squares if desired.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut and serve!
