Christmas Tree Sweet Potato Brownies

5 from 4 votes

Christmas Tree Sweet Potato Brownies

Get into the holiday spirit with these rich, fudgy Christmas Tree Sweet Potato Brownies topped with healthy chocolate frosting and festive sprinkles. 17 grams of protein per brownie! (Gluten-free & Dairy-free)

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Servings: brownies

Calories: 278kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

9 x 9 round springform pan or parchment paper lined 9 x 9 cake pan

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Brownies

1 cup sweet potato cooked, peeled and mashed (one average sized sweet potato yields about ½ to ¾ cup mashed sweet potato. If you are also plan on making the homemade chocolate sweet potato frosting, you will need between 2 to 3 sweet potatoes.)
1 cup peanut butter natural (microwaved so it is pourable)
2 large eggs beaten
½ cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
⅔ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 scoops protein powder vanilla flavored (we used a plant based protein powder)

Christmas Tree Decorations

8 pretzel rods gluten free pretzels or candy canes for the tree stems.
8 gold star candies for the top of the tree
festive candy sprinkles as desired
2 cups homemade chocolate sweet potato frosting or store bought homemade healthier chocolate frosting recipe is provided in the notes section

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Optional: If you want to make the homemade chocolate sweet potato frosting, see the directions below Make it either the night before or a few hours in advance and chill in the refrigerator.
Cook sweet potatoes until soft and tender. (Roast in oven, steam or microwave) Allow to cool. Peel and Mash.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease 9 x 9 round springform pan or line a 9 x 9 cake pan with parchment paper. (see notes below for details)
Microwave the peanut butter if not liquid.
Mash the sweet potato in a large bowl. Add the pourable peanut butter and mix well. Then add 2 eggs, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Stir well.
Add the dry ingredients, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and protein powder and mix well to combine.
Pour the sweet potato brownie batter into the prepared 9 x 9 round baking pan. Spread the batter to the edges of the pan and smooth over the top so it bakes evenly.
Place brownies in the center rack in the oven uncovered. Bake 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 and when it reads 180 degrees F it is done. (Every oven is different so check your brownies at the 20-minute mark and if they wiggle in the center when you touch them, they will need longer. If they no wiggle in the center, check temperature with a thermometer and go from there.)
Remove from the oven and allow the brownies to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully lift the brownies out of the pan using the ends of the parchment paper and lift and cool on a wire rack. You can even place the brownies in the refrigerator overnight covered or for a few hours and decorate later.
Once the brownies are completely cooled, use a knife to cut the circle in half. Turn the brownie and cut the circle in half the other way. Then slice into a total of 8 brownies. Keep the knife clean by dipping it in water and wiping with a towel between each slice.
Pipe on the delicious chocolate sweet potato frosting (recipe below) or your favorite frosting and decorate with a 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.

Video

Notes

**Nutrition facts do not include frosting or sprinkles.

Homemade Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting

½ cup coconut oil – if you do not like the flavor of coconut oil use refined – we used virgin 100% unrefined coconut oil – no you cannot exchange with other types of oil as it will not have the same effect.
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup cooked mashed sweet potato
¼ cup almond milk or dairy of choice to blend
Holiday sprinkles, little stars and more (optional)

Add coconut oil, maple syrup, cocoa powder, salt and mashed sweet potato to a high-powered blender or small food processer. Blend and scrap down the sides. (it may look dodgy and separated at this point, but it is okay) Add almond milk as needed up to a ¼ cup to help the blender emulsify the ingredients until a smooth and glossy chocolate sweet potato frosting.

At this point, the frosting needs to set up in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4-6 hours to firm up before use.

When you are ready to frost the brownies, remove the frosting from the refrigerator. It is normal for it to be hard. No worries, pop it in the microwave for approximately 15 to 20 seconds on high power. Mix well until smooth but firm enough to pipe.

Place the healthy sweet potato frosting in a piping bag. Pipe the brownies with star shapes or in a line so that you can add your desired holiday sprinkles. Have fun decorating each brownie.

How to Store

Prepare and refrigerate the Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting up to 3 to 5 days in advance.
Baked Sweet potato brownies can last up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator either frosted or plain or up to 2 months in the freezer in a sealed freezer safe container.

Nutrition