Sweet Potato Brownies (2.0)

Continuing with our sneaky trend of hiding veggies in desserts like Chocolate Chip-Banana Bread (and everything else), we've modified the much-loved Sweet Potato Brownie recipe we gave you several months ago. At the time when we first posted it, we were shocked at how dense, moist, and intensely chocolatey they turned out.

Only problem was . . . they wouldn't come out of the pan.

So, we set out to make them again last night, but with two new criteria. They needed to be just as healthy, if not MORE so. And they needed to be portable. After careful tweaking and taste-testing, I'm happy to report that we succeeded!


SWEET POTATO BROWNIES (2.0)

What you'll need . . .

• 2 tablespoons canola oil (we used walnut oil, but veggie or canola works)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/3 cup rolled oats, uncooked
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 2/3 cup sweet-potato puree (we used a half/half mix of sweet potato and carrot puree we had been using for garlic knots)
• 1 flax egg (see directions below)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Handful chocolate chips
• Handful peanut butter chips
• Handful pecans or walnuts

Method . . .

1. Spritz a 8-inch square baking pan with some canola oil. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon golden flax meal with three tablespoons water. Then heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and set aside to cool.
4. If you don't already have it, make your sweet potato puree. I used the microwave to heat a sweet potato (first prick it a few times with the tines of a fork) -- then put it on a plate and zap for 6 minutes on high. Alternatively, you can boil the potato if you're not a fan of microwaves. Scoop out the flesh, mash or puree, and let cool.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, combine the sweet potato puree with the oil, flax egg, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix until smooth.
7. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until everything is well moistened. Then stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and nuts.
8. Pour into your prepared pan. Then bake for 25 minutes. The batter will appear wet, so be sure to poke through the center with a toothpick.
9. Let cool before slicing. They may still be quite moist, but I assure you, they will come out of the pan!

As always, my favorite way to devour these brownies is to smother them with peanut butter. Nutella might also be a great compliment. Any sinful spread, really.


And for those of you following our baby blog, we wrote all about our girl's ever-expanding closet today on (never home)maker, baby! Go see what she'll be wearing that's old, new, borrowed, PINK, and more!

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