I have been experimenting more and more with my Vegan baking, and although it can sometimes be quite challenging to make sweet treats that are both Vegan and gluten-free, using vegetables such as sweet potato is a brilliant way to achieve a fudgy texture for brownies and also get some wonderful nutrients in to every bite – it’s also a fab way to get some veggies into your kids, cleverly disguised in chocolate clothes ;)

I really encourage anyone to eat ‘real’ peanut butter i.e. peanut butter that is just peanuts and salt, and maybe (if absolutely necessary) some palm oil. Brands such as Skippy that contain sugar and added chemicals also don’t work as well in baking as they have too many extra ingredients. For these brownies I like to use Biona, Meridian or Pip&Nut crunchy peanut butter, but I'm sure any brand that makes natural nut butters will work well :) 

Ingredients:

Makes about 12 large brownies

·       3/4 cup sweet potato puree

·       1 cup crunchy peanut butter

·       1 tsp vanilla extract

·       1/4 cup coconut flour

·       2/3 cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips

·       2/3 cup coconut sugar

·       1/3 cup cacao powder

·       1 1/2 tsp baking soda

·       1 tsp cinnamon

·       1/8 tsp salt

Method:

1.   Preheat your oven to 170 Celsius and line an 8-inch baking tin with baking paper.

2.   In a microwave or in a bain-marie, gently melt your peanut butter until easily stir-able, and then whisk this with the sweet potato and vanilla in a large bowl.

3.   In another bowl, mix the cacao powder, coconut flour, chocolate chips and baking soda until well combined and then fold this into the sweet potato mixture.

4.   Next scoop this into the baking tray and, using a spatula, smooth this down into the pan making sure that the batter is level so that you get an even bake. If it’s easier, take another clean piece of baking paper and place this on top of the batter, then use your hands to squash it into the tin. 

5.   Place on a middle shelf in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and dust with a little cinnamon. It may seem slightly underdone, but do not worry as it will firm up once it’s cooled.  If the texture is too gooey for you, then just place it in the fridge (once cooled) for a few hours before eating.