Hiya!
Happy Monday! Because I knoooow these are going to make your Monday that. much. better.
They’re BROWNIES.
Of COURSE they’ll make your otherwise slightly blah Monday better. Especially when I tell you that they are a) full of health bennies just for you and b) defs allergy friendly. And… as I said…
They’re BROWNIES!
When have brownies in your inbox *not* made your Monday better? Right. I rest my case.
Have I ever shared my weird brownie proclivities on here? I’m not sure that I have so just in case you were dying to know…
I’m weird. I like (no. Maybe love) brownies, but… I NEVER eat them. Nor do I ever make them. For some reason, I am never satisfied with the brownies that my kitchen produces. Why? Not crackly enough on the crust. Not chewy enough on the edges or fudgy chewy in the center. Whatever the reason, I am never quite sold on my own brownies, so they kind of get relegated to the bottom of the recipe pile. Which means that I only really eat brownies once a year… at camp.
Guys. These brownies are like CRACK. They are so ridiculously amazing, I can’t stop at one which means that I usually eat them all week long, multiple times a day (it’s a good thing the camp is at 8000 feet elevation…). I have a problem. But also. Those are, strangely enough, made from a mix!! I’m mildly ashamed to admit it (given that EVERYTHING on this blog is from scratch, and I never use mixes when I cook), but there it is. Favorite brownies come from a mix and are made in gigantic sheet pans in the temperamental Two Sentinels ovens that don’t heat evenly. But they’re fantastic. And they’re full of love, which is probably why I adore them so much.
However. I broke my once-a-year brownie trend for these, mostly because they looked so tasty in the photos and they’re good for me. Ish. Obvs still a treat but whateverrrrrr, happy belated to me and vaccuum vati!
I’m not paleo. I like beans. But I also like a good cooking challenge and I have quite a few paleo friends, so here you go. Paleo brownies in yo’ inbox.
Happy Monday! Sorry I’m not sorry y’all want brownies now, heeheehee!
Sweet Potato Brownies
Not quite cakey, not quite fudgy (which is good since a brownie somewhere between is my favorite), totally good for you and easy to whip together. High in Vitamin A/Beta Carotene, good fats, antioxidants, fiber, gluten free and refined sugar free. Recipe adapted from Eat Drink Paleo, here! Makes 9 large or 12 small squares.
- 1 sweet potato (I used orange), grated in the larger holes on a box grater
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c pure avocado oil*
- 1/2 c maple syrup**
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1.5-2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2-3 biggish squares of dark chocolate, melted (I used 75%), for topping
- dairy or nondairy ice cream thing to make sundaes (you know you want to)
*I use avocado oil or coconut for anything above 300 or 325—-they have a higher smoke point. Mine is organic.
**I always use 100% pure organic grade B maple syrup.
Preheat the oven to 365, and line a 9 by 9″ pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
Get a bicep workout by grating the sweet potato. Toss grated bits into a medium sized bowl, then add in eggs, vanilla, avo oil, and maple. Stir in baking powder and soda, then cocoa powder (try to smash out any major lumps, but it doesn’t have to be perfect). Lastly… stir in coconut flour (avoid using too much, it will make the brownies dry and gritty)—start with 1 tbsp and work from there. I ended up using the full 2 tbsp, but I think I could have reduced it to 1.5. The batter should be thickish. Spread it into the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. I took mine out at 25—a tester came out clean and the top was still a bit soft when pressed.
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift the parchment out onto a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
Once cool, “frost” with melted dark chocolate and shredded coconut. It’s a really excellent idea to make these into sundaes… juuust sayin’!
Store them in the fridge in the foil covered pan if you have any left over!
Wait...are those...cookies?! 