FOOD NEWS
For Fudgier Brownies, Swap Sugar For Sweet Potatoes
BY JULIA HOLLAND
If you're reducing your sugar intake but still want to enjoy some brownies, swap out sugar for sweet potatoes to give them not only a similar sweetness but also a fudgier texture.
The rich, dense, and moist pulp of sweet potato puree contains natural sugar and starch to replace most of the sweetener and a portion of the flour of a regular brownie recipe.
Since brownies are denser than normal cakes, sweet potato puree can even replace eggs. Without the leavening powers of eggs, sweet potatoes will substitute as a binder only.
This results in especially dense fudginess. Steam or boil sweet potatoes, then scoop out the pulp and mash them to blend with the wet ingredients, followed by the dry ones.
While sweet potatoes are a great sugar swap, they aren't a complete swap. You should include another form of sweetener like maple syrup, pureed dates, or even mashed bananas.
As a general rule, mashed sweet potatoes comprise ⅔ of the total sugar in a brownie recipe, leaving ⅓ cup of your desired added sweetener.