Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies 🍠

One of my fav TV chefs, Olivia Burton (MasterChef: The Professionals), recently baked some sweet potato brownies and I've been curious ever since. After doing some research, I realised her recipe which is on her Instagram, comes down to around 450 calories per slice so I decided to combine her recipe, with another healthy recipe from Minimalist Baker. The end result is fudgy, chocolate brownies which definitely tastes naughty, but is only around 185 calories per serving 😍so here it is below for ya. They are vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free and dairy-free. Sure they're not the gooey brownies you might be used to, but they are definitely a lot healthier for you.

Don't be scared of the sweet potato. The roasting action ensures that all the sweet juices come out and it actually compliments the coconut oil and maple syrup very well. The caramelly tones make these the perfect healthy treat. Enjoy!

Serves: 12

Difficulty: Level 2

Health factor: ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ingredients

• 320gr of sweet potato purée (from 1 large sweet potato, see tip on how to make this below)

• 45ml maple syrup

• 10 dates, pitted

• 4tbsp coconut oil, melted (you can also use olive oil or sunflower oil but this will affect the total calorie measurements)

• 75gr almond butter

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• 50gr cocoa powder

• 1/4tsp sea salt

• 1tsp baking powder

• 60gr oat flour (I blended rolled oats in a nutribullet to create oat flour)

Optional for topping:

• 12 raspberries

• 10gr of roughly chopped walnuts

• 15gr dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees celsius. Line a brownie tin with baking paper.

2. In a nutribullet / blender / food processor, tip in your sweet potato purée, maple syrup, dates, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond butter. Process until incorporated then tip to a large mixing bowl. If you don't have a big enough blender, then mix everything with a fork until fully incorporated.

3. Now add your cocoa powder, sea salt, baking powder, and oat flour. Mix well until a smooth batter is achieved. It shouldn't be too thick and it should be pliable. If still too thick, add more coconut oil.

4. Transfer batter to lined brownie tin and using a spatula or a flat-bottomed cup measurer, flatten the surface to ensure the batter is spread evenly in the tin.

5. Top with raspberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

6. Bake in the middle rack for 25-28 minutes. The brownies are ready when the top looks slightly dry and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.

7. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the cake tin for at least 30 minutes.

8. Lift out of the pan and slice with a large knife. Serve on its own, with ice cream, custard, or cream, the rest is up to you!

Hot tip: to make sweet potato purée, chop sweet potato in half, brush the flesh with a bit of olive oil, then transfer face down on a lined roasting tin. Roast in the oven on 190 degrees celsius until a fork can easily pierce the potatoes. This might take 30-40 minutes depending on how thick your potatoes are. Once done, let it cool before attempting to peel.

Got sweet potato peel? Don't throw it away! I actually ate them as a snack while baking and they were so delicious and sweet. It's also very healthy for you as it's packed full of fibre.

Storage: store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 4 days, in the refrigerator up to 7 days. You can also freeze them after you cut the slices.

Counting calories: Cut into 12 equal pieces and it will come to around 185 calories.