by Texas Homesteader ~
Have fun eating your vegetables! This Sweet Potato Brownie Recipe is gluten-free and has no refined sugar. They’re moist, delicious and chocolaty. Eat healthy but still enjoy your sweets.
(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)
Refined-Sugar Free Chocolate Treat
A few years ago our guest author Ashley shared her experiences of going a month without eating any refined sugar. I encourage you to check out her challenge, the links are at the bottom of this post.
During her FINAL WEEK of the challenge Ashley shared a ‘sweet surprise‘ – chocolate brownies made with sweet potatoes.
I’m usually wary of trying recipes that are supposed to be ‘as good as the real thing’ because I’m so often disappointed. Still I decided to give Ashley’s recipe a try. I mean – changing plain sweet potatoes into a chocolate treat? YES PLEASE!
Ingredients For Sweet Potato Brownies
But this sweet potato brownie recipe didn’t disappoint. I loved the texture and was surprised at how strongly the chocolate flavor came through. And they’re gluten free as well as containing no refined sugar!
The ingredients for sweet potato brownies are simple:
1½ Cups Sweet Potato Puree
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Large Egg
¼ Cup Maple Syrup (or Honey)
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
Just mix it all together & bake. What could be easier? This recipe is proof positive that it can be FUN to eat your veggies! LOL.
Shortcut Cooking & Peeling Sweet Potatoes
When making these for RancherMan I incorporate some shortcuts. Surprised? Of coursed not! HAHA!
Instead of baking the sweet potatoes in the oven (ain’t nobody got time for that!) I cook them in the microwave.
When they’re soft I allow them to sit covered in the microwave until they’ve cooled completely for an even better shortcut. The PEELING.
When my cooked sweet potatoes are cool a tiny air pocket forms between the skin and the sweet potato. To peel it I simply cut a slit in the skin and pull it off.
Lazy cooks UNITE!
How To Make Sweet-Potato Puree
I’ve not had favorable results getting smooth puree using a potato masher. So I use my *Ninja Blender to blend the cooked sweet potato into a smooth puree.
You could also use a food processor if desired. You’re looking for a smooth puree with no sweet potato lumps.
Making Sweet Potato Brownies
I measured out 1½ cups of sweet potato puree. It took 3 moderate-sized sweet potatoes to net that much puree.
Baker’s Note: If I find I don’t have quite enough sweet potato puree, I’ve been known to make up the last quarter cup or so with unsweetened applesauce. It’s always turned out beautifully for me.
After my puree was measured I chunked it along with the all the other ingredients into my KitchenAid bowl.
Baker’s Note: Honey works beautifully in substitution for pure maple syrup. Just my personal preference.
The resulting batter was thickish. I transferred it into an 8×8 glass pan and used my spatula to smooth the batter.
Baker’s Note: These days I don’t bother greasing the pan and the brownies still come out of the pan beautifully when cooled. One less step in the kitchen? YES PLEASE!
Sweet Potato Brownies Only 35-Minute Bake Time
Now into a 350ºF oven they go for about 35-45 minutes.
I typically bake them based on internal temperatures (see notes below) instead of by time. But Ashley had mentioned that you wanted to bake them until the corners were crisp.
Baking Brownies By Internal Temperature Instead Of By Time
Instead of baking by time I typically bake these sweet potato brownies by the internal temperature. The results can either be cakey or fudgy, whichever I prefer.
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Cakey Brownies: Internal Temperature 205ºF
Using a *Govee Bluetooth Thermometer I typically bake my sweet potato brownies to an internal temperature of 205ºF.
This results in a cake-textured brownie that I love. Especially if I’ll be spreading frosting on top to placate RancherMan’s sweet tooth.
Baker’s Note: Cake-textured brownies are easier to frost than fudgy brownies.
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Fudgy Brownies Internal Temperature 195ºF
Baking the brownies to an internal temperature of 195ºF results in a brownie that is more moist with a fudgy texture.
Either way is delicious. But there are a few notes about the fudgy-textured brownie option.
Fudgy Brownie’s Baker’s Note: The fudgy texture makes the brownies more difficult to frost. So stick with drizzle instead of spreadable frosting if you decide to top fudgy brownies with something.
And as I cut them with the knife, there was fudgy brownie left on the knife. So it’s best to allow them to cool completely before attempting to cut them.
Baking Sweet Potato Brownies In A Solar Oven Instead
Often I’ll bake the sweet potato brownies outside using my *Solar Oven. ESPECIALLY during the heat & humidity of a Texas summer day!
I’ll put my baking dish with brownie batter into my solar oven, insert my *Wireless Thermometer Probe and set the temperature target, depending upon whether I want fudgy-textured brownies or cake-textured brownies.
Depending upon how much sun is out, my desired temperature for the brownies and whether or not I’ve preheated the oven, those brownies usually bake to perfection anywhere from 45 minutes to 1½ hours.
Addition Ideas For Sweeter Brownies
I love the lightly sweet brownies just as they are. But RancherMan’s sweet tooth requires a sweeter treat.
So I always add a tiny ¾ teaspoon of dry powdered Stevia From The Garden to the batter to add some sugar-free sweetness for him.
Decadent Add-Ins For Sweet Potato Brownies
I enjoy these refined-sugar free sweet potato brownies as a healthy guilt-free chocolaty snack.
But if you’re wanting to bump the decadence a bit to satisfy the sweet-tooth appetites in your family, here are some easy additions:
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I always add ¾ teaspoon dried & powdered home-grown stevia to the batter to sweeten the brownies for RancherMan.
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Add ¼ cup (or MORE) chocolate chips or peanut butter chips to the sweet-potato brownie batter.
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Drizzle Homemade Chocolate Drizzle on the cooled sweet potato brownies.
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Top cake-textured brownies with a simple Simple No-Cook Chocolate Frosting.
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Final Words from Guest-Poster Ashley:
Sweet potatoes are full of amazing nutrients for your body and…well…you know, you can add chocolate. 🙂
You just can’t go wrong with this recipe!
And you can even sneak this one in on others who love their sweet treats and they’ll never know they’re eating HEALTHY.
Check out this super-easy recipe for decadent chocolate sweet potato brownies.
– Ashley
Did you make these Sweet Potato Brownies? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!
Sweet Potato Brownies
Whaaaat?! Is this a vegetable or a dessert? Well why can’t you just have both? These brownies are so moist and delicious and, of course, completely free of refined sugar. And I used some fall-like spices in mine to get them to taste a little like spiced brownies. Here you go, folks! Ashley (Guest writer)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1½ cup cooked, unseasoned sweet potato puree, (13 ounces), about 2-3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 1 cup peanut butter, (9 ounces), I used chunky because it’s my favorite, but smooth or any nut butter will do
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup 100% maple syrup or honey (3 ounces), NOTE: ~TxH~ uses honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- a sprinkle of allspice or cloves, optional for spiced brownie flavor
- ¾ teaspoon Dry powdered Stevia leaves, (OPTIONAL - we like the additional sweetness it adds though. ~TxH~)
- 1 teaspoon Cold coffee (OPTIONAL - but I add a bit of cold coffee to everything chocolate to intensify the chocolate flavor ~TxH~)
Instructions
Instructions:
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Bake 2 large sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for an hour, or until soft and they peel easily comes off. Peel your sweet potatoes and mash them until smooth. (NOTE: ~TxH~ cooks them in the microwave for about 4½ minutes instead.)
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Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease an 8x8 glass pan.
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Measure out 1½ cups (13 ounces) of sweet potato puree.
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Throw all of your ingredients in a bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
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Pour your batter into an 8x8 baking dish and spread it out evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until nicely browned on top and the corners are crispy. (See notes below for options for fudgy or cakey brownies)
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Cool completely, cut into serving sizes and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
~TxH~ NOTES:
If using an instant-read thermometer you can make these brownies either fudgy or cakey.
For a fudgy consistency I bake them to 195℉ internal temperature.
For a more cakey brownie I bake them to 205℉ internal temperature.
Add-In's - I often add 3/4 teaspoon dried, powdered home-grown stevia to bump the sweetness to satisfy RancherMan's sweet tooth.
As long as you're not trying to keep these sweet-potato brownies sugar free you can bump the decadence even more by adding:
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips or peanut butter chips into the brownie batter.
- Drizzle baked brownie with chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate drizzle.
- Frost baked and cooled brownie with chocolate frosting.
NOTE: SOLAR-OVEN BAKING - In the summer months I bake these brownies in my Sun Oven solar oven. I place the baking dish into a pre-heated solar oven and bake them to an internal temperature of 200-205 Degrees F. for cakey brownies (195 degrees F. for fudgy-textured brownies)
Depending upon the amount of sun/clouds and whether the solar oven was pre-heated first, it typically takes between 45 minutes to 1.5 hrs to bake. (The temps can be checked with a wireless or quick-read food thermometer.)
NOTE: You’re encouraged to read all four weeks of her Sugar-Free Challenge Journey where she shares tips & sugar-free recipes:
~TxH~
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Outstanding! Made this recipe as soon as I read it. At first I was skeptical, you know, cardboard texture and sawdust taste of healthy brownies. But noooooo! Best I’ve ever made!
Thank you for sharing your experience with these brownies, Kelly. We love ’em too! ~TxH~
I’ve made these delicious brownies several times. I always cook by temperature to get the cake-textured brownies and always add honey instead of maple syrup (’cause that’s what I have) and they’re always delicious! I often make a double batch and freeze one unfrosted to have something sweet already made for ‘those times’. They always come out perfect.
Oh how delicious! We love sweet potatoes, so I know this would be a hit in our house! I’m sure they taste amazing!
These sound great! I will make them for the grand kids. And I’m sharing this post on Facebook!
Authentic Maple syrup needs to be organic, otherwise, it’s refined sugar syrup with imitation maple flavoring added.
This sounds great. We have lots of sweet potatoes this year. This looks like an excellent use for some of them. 🙂