If you haven’t tried tahini in a dessert recipe, then you’re seriously missing out. The first time I tried tahini in sweet and savory recipe was in Costa Rica. The tahini cookies the local restaurant made were out of this world delicious. So I naturally wondered what a sweet potato tahini brownie would taste like. The result? Incredible.
Now, you’re probably thinking that tahini in a brownie (or even cookie for that matter) would taste a little weird. And this is totally normal to assume. But tahini creates a super rich, decadent brownie, while the sweet potato makes it incredibly moist and fall-apart-in-your-mouth delicious.
Sweet potato tahini brownies are going to become a staple in your home after this recipe!
What Makes This Recipe So Healthy?
The ingredients in these sweet potato tahini brownies are loaded with anti-inflammatory compounds that help combat disease, as well as aches and pains in the body.
Let’s start with sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are loaded with antioxidants like beta-carotene, chlorogenic acid and coumarins. Beta-carotene is transformed into vitamin A in the body, which is necessary for good eye health. Vitamin A also helps form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucus membranes and skin (1).
Sweet potato is also a rich source of different vitamins and minerals that possess powerful anti-inflammatory properties. They have a high concentration of choline, whose main benefit is reducing inflammatory responses in the body (2). Studies on animal models have shown that choline is effective in therapeutically restraining chronic inflammation in the body (3).
Among the many vitamins and minerals in sweet potato, magnesium is one of them. Sweet potatoes contain a high concentration of magnesium, which is essential for normal body function (4). A major function of magnesium in the body is helping reduce stress and anxiety (5). Most people are deficient in magnesium, which has led to a huge spike in depression, anxiety and stress among society. Eating more sweet potato (or foods like this sweet potato tahini brownie recipe) can help increase magnesium levels in the body, and ensure more happy, stable moods.
Sesame Tahini
While the addition of tahini in this recipe creates incredibly rich, delicious brownies, it also has some pretty special benefits for the body. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, which are rich in minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium and iron. It is particularly high in calcium, and happens to be one of the best plant-based sources of calcium out there!
Sesame seeds are also a good source of vitamin’s E, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15. B vitamins are essential for regulating metabolic processes in the body, as well as dealing with stress. They keep our nerves healthy and help boost the immune system.
The iron in tahini has the ability to prevent iron-deficiency anemia, a condition characterized by low red blood cell counts, iron deficiency, and fatigue.
Cacao Powder
Cacao (don’t mistaken with cocoa), is another excellent source of magnesium, as well as a plethora of immune-boosting antioxidants. Cacao actually has 40 times the amount of antioxidants that blueberries have, and for that reason, makes it an amazing food for scavenging disease-causing free radicals in the body.
Iron is also majorly abundant in cacao, so it acts as an excellent blood-building food that can help eliminate anemic symptoms.
Cacao also contains two mood-enhancing molecules called phenylethylamine (PEA) and anandamide. PEA is a chemical our body naturally produces when we’re excited, giving us strong focus and awareness on the task at hand (6). Anandamide, on the other hand, is also known as “the bliss molecule,” which got its name due to its similar molecule shape to THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.
It can’t get much better than a delicious treat that fights disease, too! If that doesn’t make you want to eat these sweet potato tahini brownies, I don’t know what will!
Sweet Potato Tahini Brownies (Paleo, Vegan, Nut-Free)
Ingredients:
– 2/3 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato (about one large sweet potato)
– 1/3 cup sesame tahini
– 1/2 cup coconut sugar
– 2 flax eggs*
– 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
– 3/4 cup almond flour
– 1/4 cup coconut flour
– 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
*To make a flax egg, mix 1 tbsp. flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water, and mix. Let stand 5 minutes before using. For this recipe you will need 2 tbsp. flaxseed meal in 5 tablespoons of water.
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a small brownie pan with parchment paper on the bottom, and rub coconut oil on the sides.
2. Using a hand mixer and a bowl, or food processor, mix the sweet potato, tahini and coconut sugar. Add in the flax eggs and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients, and whisk by hand until well mixed.
4. Spoon the mixture into the baking pan, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let cool completely before cutting and consuming!
6. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze in a freezer bag.
Hey Carly! How many servings does this make and what is the nutritional information?
I made this once and loved the batter, but my baked product wasn’t great. I want to make the batter with the flaxseed eggs and serve the batter with chopped nuts, raspberries, and a little dollop of whipped cream!
Hi Erika! One brownie should be around 150-180 calories depending on the cut. They should make around 9-12 brownies. I’ll work on getting the nutritional information up! I have to go through all of my recipes and input them into a recipe calculator. Sorry about that 🙂
can you swap for real eggs and any flour?
You definitely can, but it takes away from them being anti-inflammatory. I’ve also never made them with those ingredients either so can’t guarantee it would work out.
I just made these “brownies” but they don’t taste like brownies. I used the “flax eggs” and all the other ingredients as listed in the correct amounts, but the dough was horribly dry. I ended up having to add 6 tbsp of organic freshly squeezed orange juice to the dough to give it a somewhat softer dough that I could at least put into the pan. The dough didn’t rise. So next time I will certainly try using 2 real eggs and some baking powder to get the dough to rise and give it a more chewy brownie like texture. I had also bought all the special ingredients, which were not easy to find in Costa Rica. I am Canadian and am used to buying these types of ingredients in the organic stores, but here it was a challenge as I am not in a big city. I also do not have any fancy baking pans here, as most of my belongings are still in Alberta. I was trying to figure out what size a “small brownie pan” was, as you did not say an 8 inch x 8 inch square pan or some other size or shape. The info on the internet was horribly confusing, and I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as a special brownie pan. Some were horribly expensive! I have about 45 years of baking and cooking experience and have made nearly everything homemade. I rarely go out to eat because of allergies to a lot of ingredients that are hidden in restaurant food. I really enjoy your website and the additional information that you provide regarding the health benefits of the ingredients. This recipe however was a bit disappointing.
Hi Helena – so sorry these didn’t turn out! They always turn out so well for me 🙁 I wonder if it has something to do with the different levels of humidity as I am in Canada – I’m sure oven temperatures may be a bit different too because of the different temperatures. The dough will not rise very much for this recipe as it isn’t a traditional brownie made with gluten.