small-batch brownies

Fudgy and satisfying, these small-batch brownies come together easily and make just enough for one household to eat by themselves (of course, you can share, if you feel like it). They’re full of fiber and nutrients and have no added sugar or fat save for a modest amount of chocolate chips.

Notes: I find these always turn out better as a single small batch, because they’re more uniformly cooked. However, if you wish to double this recipe, use an 7×11 inch pan or an 8 inch square pan. You may have to transfer the batter to a separate bowl to stir in the chips, unless your food processor is very large. Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes.

This recipe was originally published on my other blog, Pragmatic Cooking.

ingredients:

Makes 6 brownies. Serving size: 1 brownie.

• 100g raw sweet potato (around 1/2 a small potato)
• 60g pitted medjool dates (about 1/4 cup, packed)
• 6 tbsp unsalted almond butter (peanut butter is also good here)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/3 cup whole wheat or whole oat flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp 1-to-1 sugar substitute (I used monkfruit erythritol sweetener)
• 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt (reduce to a pinch if using salted nut butter)
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

to prepare:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a 8×4″ loaf pan or a 6×6″ square baking pan with parchment paper so that it comes up to the top of the pan on two sides (think a long strip. Chop the dates and pour boiling water over them. Let soak for about 10 minutes.

Wash the sweet potato and cut into chunks. No need to peel it. Put the chunks into the bowl of a food processor and pulse repeatedly until minced (think sweet potato meal, but not sweet potato puree!). Drain the dates and add them to the potato. Pulse a few times to help cool the dates down. Add the egg, nut butter, and extracts and blend until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, and pulse until well combined.

Remove the blade from the food processor bowl, or transfer batter to another bowl, and stir in the chocolate chips. If you like, you can save a few of them to decorate the top of the brownies. Or not. Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Press in any reserved chocolate chips, and bake for 25 minutes.

Allow the brownies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes to set, and then run a knife or hard spatula around the edge of the pan. Use the two exposed edges of the parchment paper to lift the brownies out and then cut them into 6 pieces. These small-batch brownies are great warm out of the oven, and even better the next day when they’ve gotten nice and fudgy.

Once they’re cooled to room temp, store them in an airtight container on the counter. If you wind up keeping them more than a couple days, store in the fridge.