The more you deny yourself a "forbidden food," the more you crave it. Next thing you know, you're eating brownies straight out of the pan while binging the Great British Baking Show. You are not alone.
This brownie recipe is vegan and gluten-free and while we don't encourage you to eat the whole pan in one sitting, this is a great way to incorporate guilt-free baking into your repertoire.
Ingredients
1 cup sweet potato purée
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sunflower butter (you can substitute almond butter or peanut butter)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ Tbsp avocado oil (you can sub melted vegan butter, melted coconut oil, or olive oil)
1/2 cup cocoa powder or cacao powder (
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup oat flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
1 shot of espresso cooled (optional)
confectioner's sugar
Get Your Ingredients from Forty Acres Fresh Market
Order a $20 Mix It Up Box and request sweet potatoes.
Check for the latest information on Forty Acres Fresh Market produce stands and popup markets.
Directions
To make sweet potato purée, halve sweet potato and brush the cut sides with oil (optional). Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until tender to the touch. Move to one side of pan and wrap the parchment paper over top to steam. Let steam for 5 minutes. Then peel away skin and mash in a mixing bowl or food procesor. Set aside.
Adjust oven temperature to 350 and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add sweet potato purée, maple syrup, sunflower butter, vanilla extract, cooled espresso (optional) and avocado oil and stir to combine.
Add cacao powder, sea salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Then add oat flour and stir until a thick, scoopable batter is achieved
Transfer batter to your parchment-lined baking dish and spread into an even layer using a spoon or rubber spatula. Then top with pecans and chocolate chips (optional).Heat a sauce-pot on medium-high heat
Bake on the center rack (at 350 F / 176 C) for 28-32 minutes. If you added espresso you may need up to an additional 10 minutes of baking time. The brownie edges should appear slightly dry and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay, but it shouldn’t be overly gooey). Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar once cooled
Lift out of pan and slice. Enjoy warm or room temperature. Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3 days, in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Recipe is inspired by The Minimalist Baker