Bake

Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies

by:
November  7, 2017
4
3 Ratings
Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Makes one 9 x 13 pan of brownies
Author Notes

This brownie recipe smartly uses a simple, basic ingredient—sweet potato!—to achieve that fantastic, stick-to-your-fingers fudgy texture without being too heavy. Best of all, because they have both both cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips (I used SunSpire organic), they pack an intense wallop of deep, full-bodied chocolate flavor. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 15 ounces sweet potato puree
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (4 ¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, for enhanced chocolate flavor)
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (like SunSpire)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, sweet potato, and vanilla until well-combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using).
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until thoroughly combined but don’t overmix.
  5. Stir in the chocolate chips, then pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes. The top should feel set but still soft and a tester inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool fully before slicing. These freeze beautifully!
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Leigh Monera
    Leigh Monera
  • Lisa Johnson
    Lisa Johnson
  • Lena
    Lena
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Posie (Harwood) Brien
    Posie (Harwood) Brien

Popular on Food52

15 Reviews

MAUREEN
MAUREEN May 27, 2018
Sorry, but these were not what I expected. The sweet potato puree gave these a distinctly different taste that fell short of what I and my guests were anticipating would be a rich, chocolaty brownie. I won't be making them again.
 
ustabahippie
ustabahippie January 13, 2018
How far can one decrease the sugar?
 
Penel
Penel January 8, 2018
How would this be without the chocolate chips? Not a fan of chips in brownies or cakes.
 
Jade
Jade April 14, 2018
I did this and it was very cakey. Yummy, but not what I was going for.
 
Leigh M.
Leigh M. November 22, 2017
The recipe looks sublime, and I'll make it next week. One nitpick: some of us (probably a minority) can most definitely taste the espresso powder used to ramp up chocolate flavor in some recipes. No matter how many times the authors say it's imperceptible, for some of us, it really is noticeable. If I'm making something that I want to be coffee-flavored, that's fine, but if it's chocolatey goodness I'm after, the hint of coffee flavor in there is just off-putting.
 
Lisa J.
Lisa J. November 18, 2017
Recommendations to sub for eggs (to make vegan)?
 
Lena
Lena November 9, 2017
Do you think you could substitute pumpkin puree for the sweet potato?
 
Posie (.
Posie (. November 9, 2017
Absolutely!
 
Robyn S.
Robyn S. November 8, 2017
15 ounces sweet potato puree....is this weight or volume? Thank you
 
Elaine
Elaine November 19, 2017
I'd love to know the answer to this too - i went with weight and had an incredibly thick "wet" mixture to which i needed to add an extra egg, some oil, and some milk to get a batter consistency. they're out of the oven and smell great so i'm sure they'll be good to eat but i'm not sure they'll be much like the intended result.
 
Robin E.
Robin E. November 25, 2017
I'm assuming 15 ounces is the canned version since the article mentioned you can make your own, as well, if you want.
 
Leigh M.
Leigh M. January 21, 2018
How were they, Elaine?
 
Leigh M.
Leigh M. March 30, 2018
Robyn and Elaine, I cooked my sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker, and they had a moist and lighter texture like canned puree--much more moist than when baked. Then I weighed the peeled, pressure-cooked potatoes for the 15 ounces, and they consistency of the batter was like a fairly normal, thick brownie batter. They are delicious! Hope that helps. Like you, I'd rather use the fresh sweet potatoes when I can.
 
Elaine
Elaine March 31, 2018
sorry i missed your question before Leigh! i suspect my trouble was an old sweet potato that cooked up starchy instead of moist... so all the substitutions i had to make resulted in brownies with great flavor but an odd texture, but i’m sure but it was user error!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames November 7, 2017
Yes, please! ;o)