– vegan – gluten free – grain free – Oil free – refined sugar free –
Fudgey, gooey, decadent flourless sweet potato brownies, packed with a lot more vitamins, minerals and protein than your regular box of brownies. These brownies are best for those of us that like them fudgey rather than cakey – think of the that top layer of a Betty Crocker cosmic Brownie! Not only are they Super easy to make, but they are vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free.
Cooking essentials:
A food processor or blender
An 8″ x 11″ baking dish
See below for a breakdown of nutritional information and substitutions.
Serves 15 brownies
Vita Pura Health
Yields 15 brownies
Rich, decadent, gooey brownies - loaded with vitamins and minerals.
20 minPrep Time
1 hr, 15 Cook Time
1 hr, 35 Total Time
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup baked sweet potato (about 1 small or 1/2 large sweet potato) or sweet potato puree*
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
- A blender or food processor
- A baking sheet
- An 8 x 11" baking dish
Instructions
- Skip the first 2 steps if using store-bought sweet potato puree. Preheat oven to 425 F. On a baking sheet, prick sweet potato with a fork before putting in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes. The sweet potato should be very soft all the way through. It is important for the sweet potato to be cooked whole to get the right brownie consistency even though it takes more time.
- Once the sweet potato is done, remove from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Allow sweet potato to cool slightly and remove the skin.
- Add the sweet potato, maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut cream to the blender and blend until smooth. Add in the peanut butter, cacao powder, baking powder and sea salt and blend again. Optionally, add in the chocolate chips and pulse a few times to combine.
- By this time, the oven should be heated to 350 F. Transfer the batter to a greased 8x11 inch baking dish. You may choose to line baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Check readiness by sticking a toothpick into the middle. It should come out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool before cutting.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Notes
*If your grocery store has sweet potato puree (sometimes found in the baby food section) you can opt to use that instead of baking a sweet potato and save yourself time.
All substitutions are listed in the following text.
For the brownies, you will need:
- Sweet Potato: loaded with vitamins and minerals. One cup of sweet potato has all your daily vitamin A intake, almost half your vitamin C and manganese, 36% of your copper, 34% of your B6, 24% of your biotin, and 20% of your potassium. Nevermind that they contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. For this recipe, you will want to bake the sweet potato whole to get the best texture in the brownies.
- Natural Peanut butter: a great way to sweeten your recipe and get some added protein, healthy fats and fiber. However, peanut butter is also high in calories, so it is best to adhere to the recommended serving size if trying to lose weight. Be sure to choose a peanut butter brand that is least processed to prevent added ingredients liked sugar and trans fat. Look for peanut butter that contains only peanuts and maybe salt. Substitutions: any nut butter will work.
- Pure maple syrup: although high in sugar, is loaded with 24 antioxidants that help protect against free radical damage. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties that help to protect against chronic diseases, brain inflammation, intestinal inflammation, and nerve inflammation. Therefore, pure maple syrup is a great natural sweetener when used in moderation. Fake maple syrup is made with high fructose corn syrup and provides zero health benefits.
- Cacao Powder: a great way to get all the flavor of chocolate without all the sugar that comes along with it. Note that there is a difference between cacao and cocoa powder. It is important to choose a high quality cacao powder, which is richer in magnesium, iron, potassium and calcium. Cocoa powder, although cheaper, typically contains unnecessary fillers and less minerals and antioxidants.
- Vanilla extract: I recommend choosing a higher quality vanilla extract, as cheap vanilla extract often has artificial flavors and caramel coloring that disrupts digestive health. Stay away from extract that has propylene glycol, which is essentially just antifreeze. Pure vanilla extract is actually a great antioxidant and can reduce inflammation.
- Sea salt: a natural alternative to table salt, which is more heavily processed and contains additives.
- Baking powder
- Coconut cream: the thick top layer of coconut milk, often sold separately. Do not mistake coconut cream for cream of coconut, which is a sweetened version often used for baking and desserts. Look for a coconut cream that consists only of coconuts, water and guar gum; anything else is unnecessary, inorganic and unnatural.
- Dairy-free chocolate (organic): although normally brought up with negative connotations, chocolate (particularly dark chocolate) in moderation has many health benefits, as it is loaded with minerals. Just 2 ounces (1/3 cup) provides 100% of your daily copper intake, 37% of your iron, 42% of your magnesium, 61% of your manganese, 25% of your phosphorus, 23% of your zinc and 16% of your potassium. Not many other foods can boast this many minerals! I recommend buying high quality, organic dark chocolate that is free from vegetable oils and artificial colors & flavors that disturb the digestive system. Furthermore, look for chocolate that is made with cacao rather than cocoa, since cacao is richer in magnesium, iron, potassium and calcium. For this recipe, I used dark chocolate made with 72% cacao. Anything above 70% cacao will provide you with the healthful benefits in chocolate. Remember to check the serving size of your chocolate, as very little is needed to get its benefits and over-consuming is not good for health.