Oooey Gooey Sweet Potato and Date Brownies

Gooey, chocolatey, potatoey, datey deliciousness... note the sneaky nibble taken out of the brownie at 11 o'clock... I couldn't help myself.

For anyone who has seen my most recent post here on BGB, you'll have read I've essentially come to the conclusion that I am sick and tired of the trials and tribulations which come with being an IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) sufferer. I'm fed up of not being able to eat what I want, and I'm sick of eating the same few food combos that I know won't cause me to flare up. I absolutely adore my food. All of it. If it is edible (and sometimes even if it's not) I'll eat it. I am the Joey in that episode of friends, where he takes a fork out of his coat pocket to join in with the others, eating cheesecake off the ground.

So, it's easy to assume that having a disorder that significantly limits what I can and cannot eat, is a massive pain in the proverbial.

So far, Paleo has been a good experience. I've been experimenting a lot with lunch and dinner dishes, but as I have such a sweet tooth, it is dessert and sweet treats that I have been really keen to crack. For my first paleo-themed treat recipe, I've decided to give Brownies a go.



In my element in Mommah Fennelly's kitchen back in Dub-land

After a fair bit of trial and error, this recipe is one I am quite proud of. Some of my favourite foods in the world have just come together to make one of my favourite desserts. These brownies are genuinely the sweetest, softest, gooiest and most moist brownies I have ever made.

The MASSIVE bonus? They are made with nothing but natural goodness. Yep. A handful of 100% natural, unrefined, healthy ingredients. Sweet potatoes, almonds, buckwheat flour, dates, organic cacao and some pure organic maple syrup.

Sweet potatoes are great. They're packed with nutritional goodness, both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties don't you know!? They work a dandy number on regulating your blood-sugar levels and contain a silly amount of fibre, so these mouth-watering treats provide a nice 'slow-burn' source of energy.

What about cacao? Well this fellow superfood is an insanely rich source of antioxidants - one of the best in the world, in fact. It is also packed with manganese, which helps oxegenate the blood; magnesium, which helps maintain healthy bodily nerves, muscles and bones; and sulphur, which builds strong nails and hair. Win, win, win!

If ever there was an excuse to eat heaps and heaps of brownies, this is it.

Ok, enough... here's the recipe

Becca's Gooey Sweet Potato, Date & Prune Brownies (makes about 12 brownies)

The Ingredients:

For the brownie batter

• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes
• 1 large egg (optional... if egg is something you are trying to avoid, it is fine to take out)
• 65 grams of ground almonds
• 50 grams of buckwheat flour
• 14 dates (medjool the best type)
• 30 grams of raw cacao
• 3 tbsp of pure maple syrup
• A pinch of salt

For the icing

• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 175grams of dark chocolate chips
• 5 tbsp of coconut oil

Bits and pieces (fell in love with mum's Kenwood food processor)

The Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks and put them in water to boil for about twenty mins (you can steam them too but it might take a bit longer). The important thing is that they are really soft
• Drain and place in a food processer, along with the dates. Make sure to pit your dates, and I also suggest you chop up your dates into little pieces. This helps the mixing process
• Mix all of the remaining ingredients in a bowl, but not too roughly
• Add in the sweet potato date mix and stir (make sure you dip a finger in and taste the mix first though, it is heavenly)
• Place the brownie batter into your baking dish and bake for about 20 mins - or until you can pierce with a knife and it comes out dry
• Whilst the brownies are baking, get started on the icing by combining the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a pan on the stove. 
• Place over a low heat until melted and stir in the vanilla extract
• Allow this mix to completely cool (you can use the fridge to speed this up - about 15 mins)
• Whip the mix with a hand mixer (electric is best and quickest) until fluffy
• Allow the brownie cake to cool for at least ten minutes. This is important as it lets the brownie cake set and stick, to give it that yummy, chewy brownie texture.
• Spread the icing over the cooled brownies before slicing
• Top with fresh berries if you fancy - blueberries worked a treat for me

Brownie-volution!

The Moozic:

I was lucky enough to be back in Dublin in my parent's house when I baked these delights. Their kitchen is a bit of a baker's dream! Mommah Fennelly has every single baking utensil you could wish for. That all-singing all-dancing food processor you can see in my snaps was a pleasure to play with, and now firmly on the 2015 Birthday AND Christmas whishlist. Anyway, back to music. Mum loves a bit of 'Michael Bubbles', so that he was the music of choice on this occasion. Bit of a guilty pleasure of mine if I am honest.

Happy (and healthy!) baking,

B x