Search icon

Food

28th Apr 2019

These brownies actually taste like the real deal (but have all healthy stuff in them!)

Trine Jensen-Burke

Vowed to keep a healthy take on eating now that we have turned the pages and are days into a new year?

Us too! But that doesn’t mean we aren’t battling the strongest of chocolate craving on a daily basis.

The trick, though, we think, is to find/stock up on/make treats that are so good, you’ll totally forget they are not full of sugar and other crap.

Like these very moist, chocolaty and AWESOME brownies, that taste completely like the real McCoy, but are in reality full of only-good-for-you stuff.

So of you fancy a bit of a treat on this damp and cold afternoon, we suggest you bake these (and not reach for the Hob Nobs!). Trust us; you won’t regret it!

Ingredients

Makes 9 brownies in 21cm x 21cm square tray

Chocolate Brownie

1 cup sweet potato puree (1 very large sweet potato)
½ cup medjool dates
1 ripe avocado
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
⅓ cup raw cacao powder
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Chocolate Frosting

⅓ cup sweet potato puree
½ ripe avocado
¼ cup milk of choice (light coconut milk, almond or soy milk)
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
1½ tbsp maple syrup
1½ tbsp raw cacao powder

Decoration

Flaked almonds
Raw cacao powder

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADirections

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. To make the sweet potato puree, cover one large sweet potato in foil (shiny side inside) and roast it in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for about 45 minutes or until very soft. Allow to cool completely, remove peel and puree in a food processor. Set aside 1 cup for the chocolate brownie base and ⅓ cup for chocolate frosting.
3. Add dates to a food processor and process until it becomes a date paste.
4. Add the sweet potato puree and avocado and process until smooth.
5. Next, add maple syrup, vanilla bean paste and raw cacao powder and process until well combined.
6. Using a wooden spatula, carefully fold in the almond meal, baking soda and pinch of salt.
7. Line baking tray with baking paper. Pour in chocolate mixture and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes.
8. When the brownie is cooked, let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Chocolate Frosting

9. Whilst the chocolate brownie is cooking in the oven, prepare the chocolate frosting.
10. Add all ingredients to food processor and process until the frosting is very smooth and creamy. This will take a few minutes.
11. Put into a bowl and let chill in the fridge until the brownie is ready to be assembled.

Assembly

12. Carefully spread the chocolate frosting with a spatula over the chocolate brownie base.
13. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and a dust of raw cacao powder.
14. Slice into 9 squares with a bread knife, clean the knife between each slice.
15. Enjoy!

Recipe via Secretsquirrelfood.com