Whole Grain Dessert: Sweet Potato Brownies

A healthier take on traditional brownies: this recipe is gluten-free, dairy free, and whole grain, and does not sacrifice taste at all. These fugdy brownies are not only full of nutrients but are very satiating. Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins A,C, and E along with fiber, and the oat flour provides you with a serving of whole grains. The peanut butter adds a good source of protein and magnesium, while not over powering the chocolatey flavor of the brownie.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Sweet Potato Purée
• ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
• ⅓ cup of packed Light Brown Sugar
• ½ cup of Peanut Butter (I used JIF)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbsp Coconut Oil (melted)
• ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ¼ tsp of Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ⅔ cup of Oat Flour
• ¼ cup Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Making the Sweet Potato Purée:

1. You are going to need a medium-sized sweet potato to make about 1 cup of purée. Preheat your oven to 375F, and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Leaving the skin on, cut the potato in half the long way and place the cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until you can easily pass a knife through the center of the potato.
2. Once out of the oven, move sweet potato halves to one side of the sheet, and cover them with the remaining half of the parchment paper to hold in the heat. ‘Steam’ the potatoes like this for about 5 minutes.
3. Once steamed, peel the potatoes and either mash by hand using a potato masher/fork, or put into a food processor. Make sure there are no big chunks of potato because we want our brownies to be a nice uniform texture.

Making the Brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a 7x11 baking dish with parchment paper. I recommend parchment paper over cooking spray because these brownies are very dense and will stick to the bottom of the dish, so unless you want to scoop them out with a spoon, the paper (while annoying) is essential.
2. Add potato purée, maple syrup, brown sugar, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and coconut oil to the bowl and mix until combined. (I used JIF, but if you wanted a less sweet brownie you can use a more natural peanut butter)
3. Next add cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda and stir to combine. Last add the oat flour, and stir until a thick batter forms. It should be a similar consistency to cookie dough.
4. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking dish, and smooth batter into an even layer using a rubber spatula. Then top with the Enjoy Life chocolate chips. (You could also add chopped nuts to the top, but my mom doesn’t like nuts on her brownies, so I didn't).
5. Bake on the center rack for 28-32 minutes. The edges of the brownies should start to pull away from the pan, and the batter should look solid/set in place. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out relatively clean, with a couple crumbles, but no wet batter. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool on the stovetop in the dish for about 30 minutes to an hour before removing from the dish. (If you try to cut the brownies too early, like me, they will look pretty messy. I was too excited to try them and I couldn’t wait).
6. After an hour, lift out of the pan and cut into 15 even pieces. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate and store for 5-7 days. You can also freeze after baking for up to a month. To reheat, let them thaw to room temperature and then microwave to heat up.
7. These are best served warm, and also pair nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Serving Size: 1/15 of recipe

Calories per serving: 164

*calorie content might vary depending on specific ingredients used, but this is a good rough estimate