Christmas Tree Sweet Potato Brownies

Let the holiday baking commence! These high protein Christmas Tree Sweet Potato Brownies are thick, fudgy, flourless, dairy-free and bursting with a rich chocolate peanut butter flavor. Decorated with a guilt free chocolate sweet potato frosting, festive sprinkles and a gluten-free pretzel for a super cute holiday dessert.

Warning! Be prepared for these Christmas Tree Brownies to disappear like magic. This dessert recipe is healthy, hearty and filling with 17 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving! Just look at the size of these huge chocolate brownies! Unlike our Matcha White Chocolate Brownies that are more like a blondie, these Xmas tree brownies have a rich chocolate peanut flavor that everyone craves.

Even with "Do Not Eat!" signs slapped all over the tray of brownies, it was not enough to deter our family from polishing off the whole tray before we were done filming! (smiling)

Thank goodness they are easy to prepare and healthier than a traditional brownie. Here is what you need to make them this week!

High Protein Brownie Ingredients

Mashed sweet potato - roasted or microwaved until soft and tender. Don't worry! You can't taste the sweet potatoes, but it adds natural sweetness, nutrients, and makes the brownies extra fudgy without extra fat or butter.

Natural peanut butter - or nut or seed butter of choice. You are going to love that chocolate peanut butter flavor. It reminds us of our Marbled Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread that tastes like a Reese's peanut butter cup, but without the guilt.

Eggs - act as a binder

Maple syrup - natural sweetener

Vanilla - boosts the flavor of the chocolate and peanut butter

Unsweetened cocoa powder - chocolatey flavor

Baking powder - a leavening agent to help the brownies rise.

Salt - accentuates the deep brownie flavor

Protein powder - to make dairy free use a vegan protein powder. If you do not need it to be dairy free a grass-fed vanilla protein powder. It's delicious and adds in an extra 40 to 60 grams of protein, depending on the brand used, to this sweet potato brownie recipe.

Pretzel rods - we used gluten free pretzel rods to keep the recipe gluten free.

How to Roast, Air Fry, Steam or Microwave Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Pro/Con - are the most flavorful but take the longest to cook.

• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• Wash and scrub potatoes thoroughly and allow to dry.
• Pierce potato with a fork several times to allow the steam to escape.
• Bake sweet potatoes for 45 - 60 minutes until tender.

Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

Pro/Con - also caramelizes the sweet potatoes and it takes less time than roasting them in the oven.

• Preheat air fryer to 400°F (204°C) for 5 minutes.
• Wash and scrub potatoes thoroughly and allow them to dry.
• Pierce potato with a fork several times to allow the steam to escape.
• Air fry sweet potatoes for 35 - 45 minutes or until tender, turning halfway through the cooking process.

Steaming Sweet Potatoes

Pro/Con - takes less time and retains more nutrients and flavor compared to boiling.

• Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces.
• Place in steamer above boiling water.
• Cover and steam for 15 to 20 minutes or until very soft and tender.

Microwaved Sweet Potatoes

Pro/Con -This is the quickest method but the least flavorful. In addition, due to uneven cooking, the texture may not be as creamy as the other cooking methods.

• Wash and scrub sweet potatoes
• Piece each potato several times with a fork
• Place it on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel.
• Microwave on high for 5 to 10 minutes until tender.

How to make Healthier Brownies

• Cook sweet potatoes until fork tender.
• Optional: Make chocolate sweet potato frosting by mixing coconut oil, maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, mashed sweet potatoes in a high-powered blender or food processor. Then add a dairy free alternative until smooth and glossy. Refrigerate overnight or 4-6 hours before use. Just like our recipe for chocolate covered frozen fruit, when the coconut oil chills it firms up the chocolate.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line pan with parchment paper.
• Mash the sweet potato in a large bowl. Add the pourable peanut butter and mix well. Then add eggs, vanilla extract, and maple syrup and stir well.

• Add cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and protein powder and mix well to combine.
• Pour the healthy sweet potato brownie batter into the prepared baking pan.

• Bake sweet potato brownies for 23-29 minutes. As these brownies are fudgy, a toothpick will not come clean even when they are cooked. Instead use a meat thermometer. When it reads 180 degrees F, the brownies are done. Cool!

How to Assemble Christmas Tree Brownies

• Cut the cooled flourless gluten-free brownies into 8 triangles.
• Pipe on the delicious chocolate sweet potato frosting or your favorite frosting.

• Decorate with colorful holiday sprinkles as desired.
• Break the gluten free pretzel rods in half. Insert the broken end of pretzel into the rounded end of the brownie tree for the base of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Tree Decorating Tips

• If chocolate sweet potato frosting is too stiff after being in the refrigerator overnight, microwave for 15 to 30 seconds on high power for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Frosting should be firm enough to hold its shape without being too stiff.
• Pipe the Chocolate sweet potato frosting onto the brownies using a star fitted piping bag. We like to either make little frosting dabs or a side-to-side design. 
• While the frosting is still slightly tacky, add colorful sprinkles to personalize your cute Christmas Tree Chocolate Sweet potato brownies.
• Feel free to use your own homemade recipe for frosting or even store bought to save time.

Holiday Recipe Tips

• Planning on making BOTH the brownie recipe and chocolate sweet potato frosting recipe? Cook 3 to 4 average sized sweet potatoes or more at the same time. Extra sweet potatoes are delicious in turkey sweet potato curry and creamy Thai sweet potato chicken soup.
• Microwave the peanut butter in 15 to 30 seconds or until melted to make it easier to incorporate into the brownie batter.
• Use a 9 x 9 round springform pan or line with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the brownies from the pan. 
• Every oven is different. It can take anywhere from 23 to 29 minutes for the brownies to finish baking. Start checking on the brownies at the 20-minute mark. If the brownies are still jiggly in the middle, put them back in the oven for a couple minutes and recheck.
• The toothpick method to check for doneness does not work because the brownies are very fudgy. Instead use a meat thermometer. When the temperature reaches 180 degrees F, the brownies are done.

Cake Like vs Fudgy Brownies

There is a direct correlation between how much baking powder used and how cake-like or fudgy your brownies are. The choice is yours!

Cake-Like brownies will rise a bit more and give you more room to place the pretzel rod Christmas Tree trunk - add in ¾ teaspoon baking powder

Extra fudgy brownie will not rise as much and less room to place the pretzel rod Christmas Tree Trunk - add in ½ teaspoon baking powder and plan on using thin pretzel sticks instead.