Sweet Potato Chocolate Cinnamon Fudge Brownies (Vegan GF) and ZENB Veggie Bites

Thick fudgy, cinnamon-y sweet chocolate brownies with a thick chocolate ganache frosting and more chocolate on top. These are secretly made from sweet potatoes and are vegan and gluten-free.

I love being able to add more vegetables into my everyday life, from courgette-containing breakfast smoothie bowls and nourishing roasted vegetable salads for lunch to wholesome veg-loaded dinners… and now I’ve snuck more vegetable deliciousness into chocolate brownies. You’d never be able to tell!

Inspired by ZENB and its range of Veggie Bites, these Sweet Potato Chocolate Cinnamon Fudge Brownies show off its Sweet Potato, Mango and Cinnamon Veggie Bites sprinkled on top. These snacks are organic, plant-based, gluten-free, a source of fibre and free from artificial flavours and preservatives! And they come in five delicious flavours:

• Red Pepper, Tomato and Ancho Chilli
• Pumpkin, Apple and Cacao Nib
• Carrot, Pineapple and Coriander
• Beetroot, Orange and Cacao Nib
• Sweet Potato, Mango and Cinnamon

Earlier I posted a delicious, simple and flavoursome Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup using the Red Pepper, Tomato and Ancho Chilli Veggie Bites as “croutons” and now it’s time for something sweet.

Even though the Veggie Bites are made using vegetables, the lovely fruity ingredients in some of the range, means that they make a delicious, sweet snack for on-the-go or when working from home. Plus, they also come in a resealable pouch for extra convenience (for when we can all start going out again!).

They are primarily made from as much of the whole vegetable as possible and are complemented with a delicious blend of fruits, nuts and spices to create the really unique pairings listed above. For example, the Sweet Potato, Mango and Cinnamon Bites are naturally sweetened with agave syrup, rice syrup and have puffed brown rice, almond butter, nutmeg and even dried ground cabbage! Not that you’d be able to tell… another thing I love is that they use sweet potatoes with the skin left on, which can often be discarded, to help to raise awareness of the issues of food waste. The Veggie Bites are firm, slightly crunchy from the puffed rice with lots of warming cinnamon notes.

While I’ve used them to top these Sweet Potato Chocolate Cinnamon Fudge Brownies, I am also enjoying the sweeter Veggie Bites added on top of porridge bowls and the savoury ones sprinkled on top of salads and grain bowls – you can have a look at the full range of Veggie Bites here.

Or, if you fancy something different, they also have their ZENB Veggie Sticks range and there’s a great trial pack you can order direct to your door to try them all. The Veggie Sticks are also made using as much of the whole vegetable as possible, as well as puffed brown rice, red quinoa and almonds, too! They come in the following flavours: Beetroot, Carrot, Pumpkin and Red Pepper.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Cinnamon Fudge Brownies (Vegan GF)

• Servings: 9-16
• Time: 70 minutes plus cooling
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Thick fudgy, cinnamon-y sweet chocolate brownies with a thick chocolate ganache frosting and more chocolate on top. These are secretly made from sweet potatoes and are vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

Brownies:
• 250g sweet potato puree*
• 1 tbsp ground chia/flaxseed
• 160ml maple syrup
• 120g runny almond or cashew butter (or tahini)
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 80g oat flour
• 50g cacao powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 50g chocolate chips
Frosting:
• 1 large sweet potato (between 250g-300g once mashed)
• 250g dairy-free chocolate, chopped small
Topping:
• 1 x pack Sweet Potato Mango and Cinnamon Veggie Bites

Directions

1. *if needed, make the sweet potato puree. Either stab and roast 1-2 large sweet potatoes (skin-on) in the oven for 60 minutes or until tender, allow to cool, remove the flesh and then mash. Or peel 1-2 large sweet potatoes and steam for 10-15 minutes until soft then mash the potato.
2. Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and line an 8-inch square tin with parchment paper.
3. Measure out 250g of the mashed sweet potato and add to a large mixing bowl. Add in the chia/flax seeds, maple syrup, nut butter, sunflower oil and vanilla essence. Whisk until smooth.
4. Pour in the oat flour, sift in the cacao powder, cinnamon and baking powder and add in the salt. Stir to a thick batter.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the tin, smooth over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes until firm to touch but still a bit squidgy. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes then cool fully on a wire rack.
6. To make the chocolate frosting: stab the potato all over and roast at 160Fan/180*C for 60 minutes or until tender. You can roast this while the brownies bake. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin and puree the flesh in a blender until smooth (while still warm). Now add in the chopped chocolate and keep blending (the heat will melt the chocolate) until fully melted and smooth. It will thicken as it cools so only allow to cool for 30-60 minutes until still soft.
7. Spread all over the brownies, decorate with the Sweet Potato Mango and Cinnamon Bites, fresh berries and sprinkles.
8. Store in an airtight container for 3 days.

With veggie brownies of love x

This post was made in partnership with ZENB and all opinions are my own. These links are not affiliate links but are there to help you have a look more easily at the range! I hope you will love them as much as I do!