I am going to experiment with making sweet potato "brownies" tonight, looking for culinary feedback

Geocitiesuser
Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
edited November 17 in Recipes
After reading through a few recipes online, this is one that I "invented". Most recipes use dates, but I do not have any dates. Instead I'm going to use egg to try to get a custardy texture.

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I will gladly post how they come out but before I make these, does anyone have much experience using sweet potato as a base for something like this? Will the baking powder make them too bread like? The idea, in my head, is to make something very brownie like, but not very sweet and with workable macros.
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Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    That looks like something that will hold together.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    I don't think there's enough "flour" to make them a cakey texture...I'd add some oat flour, or more protein, or both...
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    How did they turn out? The mixture doesn't really look like it will hold together well but you never know! If they didn't, what if you used cocoa powder for the chocolate instead of the syrup? It would act like flour and thicken your mixture up.
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    I don't think there's enough "flour" to make them a cakey texture...I'd add some oat flour, or more protein, or both...

    Yeah, I'll be eyeballing out. I have some flapJacked protein baking mix I might sub out for the powder, or maybe add some. It's going to depend on how thick/thin the batter comes out.
    How did they turn out?

    Haven't made them yet, I posted this looking for feedback (like yours) for any glaring culinary errors. I might reduce egg as well. I'm not familiar with the texture of 'twice baked' sweet potato in this context. (I'll steam the potato before mixing it into a batter).
  • zika007
    zika007 Posts: 29 Member
    I have been making protein sweet potato brownies for years now, great guilt free treat mine have no dates in them and are kinda fudgy cake texture
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,953 Member
    zika007 wrote: »
    I have been making protein sweet potato brownies for years now, great guilt free treat mine have no dates in them and are kinda fudgy cake texture

    Could you post your recipe? I'm interested in trying them too!
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    I'd definitely use some cocoa powder in there.

    I made a delicious sweet potato chocolate pudding. I didn't try to bake it, though.
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    zika007 wrote: »
    I have been making protein sweet potato brownies for years now, great guilt free treat mine have no dates in them and are kinda fudgy cake texture

    Can you share your recipe? Or give feedback on the ratios in mine?
  • ellefox70
    ellefox70 Posts: 58 Member
    I was really looking forward to the Deliciously Ella sweeet potato brownies I made a while back. They were genuinely the most vile thing I've ever tasted! Please let us know if they turn out well, as I'd love to try to make a decent one!
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    ^ I saw this recipe as well (it's top result in search for me), and it looks like a frankenstein of a recipe. She seems to love cooking with medjool dates that I don't have access too, so I haven't tried many (or any) of her recipes.

    If you see this, just curious, what aspect of them made them gross? (So I can guestimate where it goes wrong). To me it looks like the flours could have been cut down a lot if she reduced all the dates, but this is my first time :)

    Mine will most likely come out a pale orange color since I'm using davinci syrup instead of cacao powder, and vanilla whey instead of chocolate.
  • GSchro7
    GSchro7 Posts: 5 Member
    I just made vegan sweet potato brownies yesterday! I used nut butter to hold it all together (used PB fit with a some regular almond butter mixed in). They're gooey and dense, perfect brownies! I'll have to try using some protein powder in mine next time!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    How fun! I love black bean brownies, and tried creating black SOYbean brownies, which was mostly successful.
  • mk2fit
    mk2fit Posts: 730 Member
    Go to bromabakery.com and look for the 37 calorie brownie recipe. Best ever and no beans, potatoes or goofy stuff. Just cocoa, yogurt, and good stuff. Gooey and cocoey (is that a word?)
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    Great ideas and things to look up, thanks everyone!!
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    Trying again today with black beans and more flavor to try to cut the egginess!

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    Will post how they come out again
  • ellefox70
    ellefox70 Posts: 58 Member
    ^ I saw this recipe as well (it's top result in search for me), and it looks like a frankenstein of a recipe. She seems to love cooking with medjool dates that I don't have access too, so I haven't tried many (or any) of her recipes.

    If you see this, just curious, what aspect of them made them gross? (So I can guestimate where it goes wrong). To me it looks like the flours could have been cut down a lot if she reduced all the dates, but this is my first time :)

    Mine will most likely come out a pale orange color since I'm using davinci syrup instead of cacao powder, and vanilla whey instead of chocolate.

    Only just seen this so probably too late, but it was the texture I most had issue with, although the flavour was also a bit bland (bizarrely as there were plenty of flavoursome ingredients in them!) I have her book and really like a handful of the recipes which I often make, but a few others are really just weird!
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    It's never too late lol. My next batch (black bean based) is in the oven. The batter was DELICIOUS. I will post the tweaks I made and how they came out later. I'm on a mission for good macro brownies. B)
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    Okay version two. Still not there, but getting closer to what I want:

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    Flavor is much better this time around but is over powered by the ultra ripe banana I used. Next version I will leave out the banana and go back to just egg. The addition of coco powder made the batter too thick. I was trying to cut calories so put in 1/4 cup egg whites instead of another egg. However I'm going to go with just whole eggs in the next version as well. (If you're doing this "at home" you can sub a banana for an egg, or a 1/4 cup egg whites for an egg. You can also sub in davinci syrup with any sweetner you like, for example, cary's sugar free pancake syrup or even real maple/agave).

    Texture is meh. You can kind of tell it's beans. The beans are easier to work with than potato, but the texture isn't quite as good, a little more pastey. However texture is pretty fudge like if you refigerate this mess.

    I'm not sure if the vanilla extract helped because everything was overpowered by banana. Next time I will incorporate more coco powder and leave out the banana.

    Not sure if I'll get around to v3 this weekend, so I'll probably be back at this next week.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Bookmarked for the journey! :)
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    You could also try to sub either the Banana or egg with applesauce. Just a thought. Looks delish though!
  • bobtater1
    bobtater1 Posts: 172 Member
    Might try using flax eggs in your recipe.
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    "Flax eggs" ?

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    Whoa, cool. I learned something new!


  • ellefox70
    ellefox70 Posts: 58 Member
    Okay version two. Still not there, but getting closer to what I want:

    TqsTjkV.png

    gyVeUiX.jpg

    Flavor is much better this time around but is over powered by the ultra ripe banana I used. Next version I will leave out the banana and go back to just egg. The addition of coco powder made the batter too thick. I was trying to cut calories so put in 1/4 cup egg whites instead of another egg. However I'm going to go with just whole eggs in the next version as well. (If you're doing this "at home" you can sub a banana for an egg, or a 1/4 cup egg whites for an egg. You can also sub in davinci syrup with any sweetner you like, for example, cary's sugar free pancake syrup or even real maple/agave).

    Texture is meh. You can kind of tell it's beans. The beans are easier to work with than potato, but the texture isn't quite as good, a little more pastey. However texture is pretty fudge like if you refigerate this mess.

    I'm not sure if the vanilla extract helped because everything was overpowered by banana. Next time I will incorporate more coco powder and leave out the banana.

    Not sure if I'll get around to v3 this weekend, so I'll probably be back at this next week.

    Looking forward to an update next weekend! Happy Easter
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Still curious about this. And avocado pudding.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    Avocado pudding is good, but pretty high calorie and fat. It depends how you feel about dairy, and how you sweeten it, whether it's really any better for you than regular pudding.
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    edited April 2017
    I'll probably try to whip up v3 on Friday. I'm debating if I want to incorporate protein baking powder in it, because I'm trying to avoid using "specialty" ingredients. I suppose I could maybe do more protein powder in general. The real issue I'm having is texture. The recipe in bean brownies v2 has the same problem as all the black bean brownies on the internet, texture is more like bean paste than fudge.

    The other problem is adding ingredients fluffs up calories and changes the macros. Almond flour or coconut flour might make a good choice, but neither one of them is going to add the flourey "puffed out" texture that they are desperately missing.

    I will never try avacado pudding because I like avacado/guacamole too much o:)
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    YjgVhM8.png

    Yeesh. That's more than a whole tray of black bean brownies :) I have to try to keep the calories down. Besides the peanut butter would never make it into the batter, I'd just eat the peanut butter and call it a day lol.

    Off topic but really easy peanut butter cookie recipe is half cup peanut butter and an egg.
  • Speziface
    Speziface Posts: 1,687 Member
    A coworker made sweet potato brownies not too long ago but just used sweet potato, peanut butter, and cocoa. They were sweet enough and had a really good undercooked fudgey texture, but weren't chocolately enough. I suggested a bit more cocoa and a pinch of salt.

    Looking at your recipe I think I'd cut out the banana and swap in some unsweetened applesauce (that'll make the flavor more neutral and add moisture). Use at least the same amount of cocoa, but if the batter still seems too thick stir in a little water (maybe 1-3 tablespoons) or another egg white.
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