Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely obsessed with three foods: sweet potatoes, nut butter, and chocolate. I eat these foods on a daily basis, and if I happen to go one day without eating one of them, my whole world is flipped upside down and I just can’t function properly. Okay okay, maybe I’m being a tad dramatic, but it’s seriously no joke that I am in love with those three foods! So it’s no secret that I absolutely love these brownies, which happen to contain all three of those foods.
Upon reading the name of these brownies, you might be thinking to yourself, “Sweet potatoes? Really?” Yes! Believe it or not, the sweet potatoes contribute loads of moisture to the brownies, making them super dense and fudgy. Plus, they serve as a replacement for oil and also contribute tons of vitamins and minerals, making these brownies a healthy and nutritious way to satisfy your sweet tooth! And just to clarify: no, these brownies are not orange from the potatoes – they look just like regular brownies! In fact, my parents couldn’t tell a difference and just assumed they were eating regular brownies!
These brownies are super quick to make, and they don’t take long at all to bake! (Because let’s face it: nobody wants to wait forever for something to bake.) The most time-consuming part about this recipe is actually waiting for the sweet potatoes to cook/bake, but once you get that out of the way, it’s smooth sailing the rest of the way!
Since I eat so many sweet potatoes, I almost always have some cooked potatoes on-hand. To make them, I usually roast them in the toaster oven or the oven, but I also like sticking them in the pressure cooker and steaming them for about 12-15 minutes (depending on the size). Personally, those are my favorite ways to eat potatoes, but if you’re in a hurry, you can always poke them with a fork, wrap them in a wet paper towel, and stick them in the microwave until tender.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, it’s time to get started making the brownies! And the first step is to melt the chocolate and nut butter together. Since I always have about a billion and one nut butters on hand (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating), I like to switch it up and use different nut butters each time. Sometimes I use peanut butter, sometimes it’s almond butter, and sometimes it’s sunflower butter. All of them taste fantastic in this brownie recipe, so use whichever nut butter your heart desires!
When you decide on the nut butter you want to use, place it in a microwave-safe bowl along with the chocolate chips, and then stick it in the microwave and heat it for 20 seconds on full-power. After 20 seconds, stir it up, stick it back in the microwave, and heat it for another 20 seconds. Repeat this process until the ingredients are melted together and you have smooth, creamy mixture. Be careful not to microwave it too long – you don’t want it to burn!
Once you have your chocolate mixture, combine it in a large mixing bowl with the cooked sweet potato and remaining ingredients, and then mix it up really well. If you want a little extra crunch in your brownies, stir in some chocolate chips, peanuts, mixed nuts, or anything else you’d like. If you don’t want to use these, then no worries – these brownies still taste fantastic just on their own.
When everything is all mixed up, pour the batter into the greased dish and stick it in the oven. As they’re baking, it may look like they’re cooked and dried out after only 5 minutes, but trust me… they’re not done yet, and they’re not burning! Just be patient and wait about 25-30 minutes, and then they’ll be all done! But when you pull them out of the oven, don’t dive in just quite yet – let them cool completely and then add the frosting on top. Trust me, they’ll be ten times better this way!
This chocolate icing is made from avocado, but don’t let that scare you away from making it! I promise you that it tastes really good, and you won’t taste the avocado at all. Just like the sweet potatoes in the brownies, the avocado in the icing contributes to the rich, creamy texture and also adds loads of healthy nutrients.
After the brownies are cooled and have been iced, then it’s time to dig in! When I tried these brownies for the first time, it was love at first bite. They’re so dense and chewy, bursting with flavor, and not overly-sweet (which is just how I like it!) You can’t taste the sweet potato or the avocado at all – you only taste the cacao and the peanut butter, making it seem like you’re eating just a regular chocolate peanut butter brownie! But these brownies are far from regular – they’re better! Don’t believe me? Try them out for yourself! And try to stop after just one… I dare you!
Sweet Potato Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flesh from cooked sweet potato about 1 medium sweet potato
- 1/4 cup peanut butter or any natural nut or seed butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
- 2/3 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 TBSP coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips optional
Chocolate Frosting
- Flesh from 1 large avocado about 1 cup
- 2-3 TBSP maple syrup or to taste
- 3 TBSP cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. instant coffee granules optional
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or coffee extract
- 1-2 TBSP unsweetened almond milk or enough to thin
Instructions
- If sweet potatoes are not already cooked, then cook them before starting. Either pierce the potato and microwave it until tender (about 8 minutes), or roast in the oven at 400 for about 30-40 minutes until cooked through. Once cooked, allow to cool, then remove the skin and mash the flesh.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8×8″ glass baking dish and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, nut butter, vanilla, eggs, almond milk, and coconut sugar. Use an electric mixer to mix until everything is well-combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, mix well, and then fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour batter into greased dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once done, remove the brownies from the oven and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting: combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Add additional almond milk if mixture is too thick.
- Spread frosting over cooled brownies and then cut into bars.