Maximize The Fudginess In Brownies With This Underused Root Vegetable

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There is no doubt that brownies — in any and all forms — are delicious. And thanks to their sweet flavor and chocolatey richness, you may assume that adding any sort of vegetable to them is sacrilege. However, brownies are actually a great recipe to add vegetables to, as their density and moisture can disguise them in ways other recipes cannot — think zucchini brownies or ones made with black beans. However, one vegetable you may not have thought to add to this baked good is ube. 

Ube has been catapulted into the spotlight, popping up in the aisles at Trader Joe's and on Dunkin's seasonal menu. If you've yet to consider baking with ube, now is prime time — especially with the help of this fudgy ube brownie recipe. Like "normal" sweet potatoes, ube is very high in starch, but the thing that sets it apart is its distinct vanilla undertone, which allows it to seamlessly integrate into desserts. Whole ube is hard to source in most grocery stores, and you need to boil, mash, and puree it to prevent a lumpy batter, which is why we recommend using ube halaya jam and ube extract in your recipe instead. You can find these at Asian grocery stores or online. 

One of the big draws of using ube in your brownie recipe, of course, is the color. Ube's unmistakable purple hue shines in our recipe, and it's also why we use white chocolate instead of milk or dark chocolate. Opting for this lighter, sweeter chocolate allows the ube's flavor to shine through and will give your recipe a bright pop of purple, rather than a muddled brown one. If you want your chocolate to melt in with the batter and enhance its sweetness, consider using chopped white chocolate bars rather than chips. 

Our recipe does call for cocoa powder for flavor depth, though you can omit it if you prefer. This is also an incredibly easy recipe to make gluten-free; simply swap the regular all-purpose flour for a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour (we like King Arthur's Measure For Measure Gluten-Free Flour best). This recipe is an excellent foray into all things ube; you might want to spring for ube cookies next.