Fudgey Chocolately Goodness … a very popular recipe!
These incredibly delicious brownies are made from only 6 basic yet wholesome ingredients that can be found in your everyday pantry. The texture is great considering it calls for no flour. Subtle savoury tones from the sweet potatoes yet sweetness from the dates make these brownies a great way to curb any sweet cravings!
Serves: Makes 16 – 20 square brownies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (400 g) raw sweet potatoes, cubed (keep the peel on)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (200 g) pitted dates, softened
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) oil of choice
- 4 eggs or 3 flax eggs (combine 3 Tbsp flaxseed powder + 1 cup water. Let it stand for 5 minutes)
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
- 1/2 cup (100 mL) cocoa powder
- Optional: 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla essence
- Optional: 1/2 cup (50 g) ground almonds (or any other nuts)
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Steam the sweet potatoes until soft. Meanwhile pulse almonds in a blender and set aside.
- Blend the oil and sweet potato together until smooth. Add additional water if needed.*
- This is a very important step: Soften the dates by soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes or heating them in the microwave on medium – high for 2 minutes. Mash to soften them even further (with the water). Blend with the eggs until smooth. Add the eggs to the dates and allow for them to be at the same temperature before you blend – otherwise you can ‘scramble’ the eggs.*
- Mix the dates & sweet potato mixtures together. You can add 1/2 cup water to the mixture to blend more easily*.
- Sift in the cocoa powder, baking powder and half of the ground almonds (or other variations). You may need to add a splash of extra water if the batter is very thick.
- Add the brownie mixture to a greased 25 x 30cm baking dish or a 12 cup muffin tray (use spray ‘n cook). Add the rest of the ground almonds as a topping (or other variations).
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. They will bake quicker in the muffin tray. If you used flax eggs, they will cook for 45 – 50 minutes. Watch closely!
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting – brownies can be delicate!
- Transfer into an airtight container and store in the fridge (up to a week) or in the freezer (up to 1 month) … if they last that long!
*Steps 3 – 5 can be done in a large food processor. First blend the sweet potato and oil together, then add the softened dates and eggs and keep blending until it forms a very smooth batter. Transfer to a big mixing bowl. If using a smaller blender – like a Nutribullet – blend the sweet potato and oil first, transfer the mixture to the large mixing bowl. Blend the dates and eggs together, and then transfer to the sweet potato mixture and combine well in the large mixing bowl by hand. Add an extra 1/4 cup water if very thick.
Variations:
- Extra Sweetness: Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- Enhanced Chocolate Flavour: 2 – 3 scoops chocolate protein powder. You will need to add an extra splash of water.
- Texture: 1 cup desiccated coconut or 1 cup of trail mix
- Toppings: Swirl in 1 – 2 Tbsp melted peanut butter or make a chocolate ganache glaze (melt 1 Tbsp peanut butter, 1 Tbsp syrup, 1 tsp vanilla essence, small amounts of water and 2 tsp cocoa powder)
- Fudgey Consistency: Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!
Please share and tag me in your creations on social media!
I just love seeing everyone making these delicious yet healthy treats!
Dietitians Notes:
- Ingredients: All ingredients are nothing fancy – simple, minimally processed and wholesome.
- Fiber: These brownies get a fiber boost from both the sweet potatoes and dates. Remember to keep the peel on the sweet potatoes when you cook them!
- Natural Sweetness: From both the root vegetable and dates. Sweet potatoes are naturally higher in sugars and fiber (versus the standard white potatoe). Dates add a natural sweetness to the brownies. Additionally, dates are nutrient dense, rich in flavour and boost the fiber profile of the brownies.
So we get a burst of sweetness plus fiber and nutrients – it’s a win-win!
