There’s nothing quite like chocolate. Now we’re not talking about milky, light chocolate here, but the rich, dark, intense chocolate that snaps satisfyingly when you bite into it and effectively takes you to chocolate heaven! That brings us to dark chocolate brownies. They have all the flavour of dark chocolate AND the fudgey texture of a brownie. Now wouldn’t it be something if we told you that this brownie recipe we found on Feasting on Fruit’s blog was actually a pretty healthful treat? Follow the link over to her website and see for yourself how dates, water, oat flour, cocoa powder, and sweet potatoes come together, with the help of a high-speed blender, to make some incredible brownies. She even has a video so you can see just how easy it is to whip these babies up. Note: You should probably resist looking into your blender as the batter is combining or you may end up with some of it in your eye…yes we’re talking from experience!
The brownies are topped with an equally wholesome frosting, which you can find here. We modified her recipe using cocoa powder instead of protein powder and added about 1 tbsp of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness.
This recipe comes together so quickly and all your efforts are rewarded with fudgey, chocolatey brownies that remind us of a more decadent version of those two-bite brownies we used to eat as kids. Given the unconventional ingredient list, and our own taste buds that generally prefer desserts that are not overly sweet, we knew we needed to recruit a third party for a true taste test. Enter our little brother. If he says something is good, especially if he knows that something is vegan, we know it’s good. After taking a bite of one of these brownies his exact words were, “No way! Those are so good!” So take his word for it and make sure you give these brownies a try! After all, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner so what better way to celebrate than by sharing these sweet treats with the ones you love most! (Or, you know, keep them all for yourself…we won’t judge! 😉
Featured Ingredient: Sweet Potato
The addition of sweet potato to these brownies not only helps give them their smooth and fluffy texture, it also boosts the nutritive value of this satisfying, yet healthy dessert.
Sweet potatoes are a rich source of vitamin A, specifically beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a type of carotenoid, the form of vitamin A found in plant foods which takes first prize for being the carotenoid with the greatest biological activity in the body! It plays some important roles in the body, acting as an antioxidant, protecting skin from sun damage, and promoting eye health by fighting age related degeneration.
Though beta-carotene is often associated with orange fleshed vegetables, such as carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes and fruit like apricots, mango, papaya, and cantaloupe, it is interesting to note that it is also found in GREEN vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and kale. How cool is that?! To enhance absorption of this vitamin, moderately cook those veggies and add a small source of healthy fat, such as a few nuts or seeds as vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin!
Reference
Hammond, G. (2017). Antioxidants [PDF document]. Retrieved from University of British Columbia Canvas Site.
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