'Health By Chocolate' Brownies

Just in time for your sweet cravings is this one-bowl recipe for the most nutty & chocolaty Sweet Potato Brownies. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and oh so easy to make; believe me, even easier to gobble down! This recipe is more forgiving than the gods could ever be! It's about time we cancelled the idea that 'healthy can never be yummy', isn’t it?

Ingredients:

255g sweet potato puree

240ml honey (you can swap this with maple syrup for a vegan option)

22ml vegetable oil

130g unsweetened peanut butter, crunchy (you can also use creamy but the chunks of peanuts add a nice texture)

2 tsp vanilla essence

30g cocoa powder

60g oat flour (look below to understand how to make your own!)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp soy milk

4 tbsp coconut sugar (for additional sweetness)

1/2tsp instant coffee powder (optional)

25g dark chocolate (optional)

Method:

1. To make sweet potato purée, wash your sweet potatoes and poke it all over with a fork. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 200 C for 45-50 minutes or until tender to the touch.

2. Let the potatoes cool and then peel and add them to a food processor. Blend until a smooth puree has formed. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a few tablespoons (one at a time) of any plant based milk to thin it out. Set aside.

3. To make your own oat flour, take 60g of rolled oats and blend it in a food processor or a blender until a fine powder has formed. Set aside.

4. Dissolve your instant coffee powder in the soy milk, if you are using it, and set it aside.

5. Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

6. In a large mixing bowl, add the sweet potato purée, honey and peanut butter. Whisk well to thoroughly combine.

7. Next, add the vanilla extract, and vegetable oil and mix well.

8. Add cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine.

9. Add the oat flour and stir until a thick batter has formed.

10.Finally add the soy milk (you can use a chocolate flavoured one to add an additional chocolate flavour) and mix until well combined.

11.Pour the batter into the lined baking tin and spread into an even layer using a rubber spatula.

12.Optionally, top with chopped dark chocolate chunks.

13.Bake on the centre rack for 28-32 minutes. The brownie edges should appear slightly dry and a toothpick inserted into the centre should come out mostly clean (a few crumbs are okay, but it shouldn’t be overly gooey).

14.Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes. They are now ready to slice and eat!

NOTE: These brownies remain fresh at room temperature for 3 days and 5 days when refrigerated.

Nutritional information by Sahana Dasharathi

Recipe curated and written by Shria Bellalcheroo

Photo credit: Shria Bellalcheroo