Sweet Potato Brownies
Whenever October hits I get really excited about experimenting with baking. I'll be honest a lot of the time I fail due to my inability to follow any recipe correctly but other times there is something delicious. I've never had a crazy sweet tooth but there is something about sharing a sweet treat with friends and family that is contagious this time of year. If I think back to my childhood, a favorite dessert in the household was brownies. My sibling and I used to fight who got to lick the remaining batter from the bowl, and anxiously waited for the gooey chocolate squares to emerge from the oven. Eaten with a spoonful of peanut butter and a little sea salt was heaven (yes, I have put salt on everything from a young age and still love the contrast of salt and sweet).
Long gone are the days that I eat bowls full of Betty Crockers boxed brownies but a simple shift to upgrading the ingredients means that I can still nourish my sense of nostalgia. This recipe includes sweet potatoes, cashews, no refined sugar, and the antioxidant power of cacao. (PS. They're gluten free, paleo, and vegan friendly. The recipe took a bit of time to get right but I assure they'll be a go to for holiday parties, and it's perfectly acceptable to eat them for breakfast.
Ingredients
- 3 medium to large sweet potatoes
- 1 cup of cashews soaked for at least 4 hours
- 3/4 cup of medjool dates
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 tbs coconut butter or oil
- 1 tsp of Himalayan sea salt
- a dash of cinnamon
- Optional: 10 drops of liquid stevia (sub with 1 Tbs maple syrup or coconut nectar) **If you need it sweeter
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350*F. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into chunks and place into a steamer for about twenty minutes, until they become really soft.
- Once they are perfectly soft enough remove them and add them to a food processor with the pitted dates, coconut oil, and cashews.
- Put the remaining ingredients into the food processor. Stir well.
- Place into a lined baking dish and cook for about twenty minutes, until you can pierce the brownie with a fork bringing it out dry. Remove the tray and allow it to cool for about ten minutes. Make sure to let them cool so that they will stick together. Remove the brownies from the tray, leaving it another few minutes before cutting them into squares.
- Plate, serve, enjoy, and savor!