Third Trimester Brownies
I am 36 weeks pregnant and aiming to eat at least 3 medjool dates a day in preparation for labor. I also had some canned sweet potato on hand so wanted to find a yummy way to incorporate both of these. These came out quite dense, sort of fudgy, not super sweet…next time I’d probably add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar + 1/4 cup of butter to get some more sweetness, richness, and crustiness. I had to top it with a last-minute ganache to save it.
Ingredients
1 cup pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup pureed sweet potato
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 and 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 large egg, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate disks
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8 x 8-inch metal pan with parchment paper. Here’s why metal vs. glass is better from brownies: https://handletheheat.com/glass-vs-metal-pan/
Roughly chop the cup of medjool dates and pour the hot water over to soak. Add more water as needed to fully submerge the pieces of dates. Allow them to soak and soften while you mix the wet ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1 cup pureed sweet potato, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 large egg, whisked, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. I prefer to mix with a fork vs a whisk for better control.
Blend the medjool dates and the water until a pasty consistency. Doesn’t need to be totally smooth, as even the small chunks of dates will melt nicely when baked. It also adds nice texture if it’s still fairly rough. Add date paste to the wet incredients.
Mix in the 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons milk powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth.
Stir in the 1/2 cup flour until just combined. Fold in the 3/4 cup chocolate disks at the end.
Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. It’s quite thick, with a consistency between cookie dough and cake batter. It didn’t automatically spread into the corners of the brownie tin until I spread it with the rubber spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the brownies are set and a cake tester inserted into the center has moist crumbs attached. Do not overcook. Let cool completely to solidify before cutting and serving.
