Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Bestest Brownies Evah

I came across this brownies recipe and just *had* to try it: brownies made with sweet potatoes?!?!? Whhaaaaaa?? Yeah, I had great doubts too, but these puppies will seriously surprise you (and get you instantly addicted, yep).

As usual (can't help it), I modified the original recipe a bit because:
  1. I ran out of olive oil;
  2. I prefer cooking with maple syrup rather than honey;
Ingredients
  • 1 medium raw sweet potato, peeled and grated (using the larger holes of the grater) - approx 2½ cups of shredded sweet potato (FYI: the purple peel ones are sweeter)
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 tsp REAL vanilla extract (not the fake stuff, ew)
  • ¾ cup of maple syrup
  • ½ cup of coconut oil (melted in a bowl over hot/boiling water, avoid the microwave)
  • 1 tbsp of baking powder
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 generous tbsp coconut flour (because there's more moisture in my version, the recipe can handle a bit more but don't over do it, this stuff sucks up lots of the moisture)

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Combine grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and melted coconut oil in a large mixing bowl and stir together until well incorporated. 
  4. Add dry ingredients into the wet mix until blended (ie don't over mix).
  5. Pour the mixture into a baking tray (preferably 8x8 or 9x9 inches) either greased with a little coconut oil or lined with parchment paper (my personal fav non-stick choice).
  6. Cook for 35 minutes. Check middle with a toothpick and cook a little more if need be. 
  7. Fend off family members and neighbors attracted by the scrumptious smell emanating from your kitchen.
  8. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing the brownie cake form the tin. Let it cool down before cutting into desired size.
  9. Try not to eat it all within 24 hours...

As an extra, you could melt some dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water and drizzle/spread it over the top. You could also top them with fruit (raspberries, strawberries, mango, blueberries... anything really). Or you could even top them with store bought "gluten-free" icing (it may contain no gluten but the sugar/fat levels are waaaaayyyy up there). Personally, I prefer them as is.  <:)