Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes
When I tell my athletes I have a recipe for brownies they are allowed to eat, their faces light up. This healthy version is low in fat and packed with slow-release carbohydrates in the form of sweet potatoes – a great snack to be eaten 1–2 hours before a training session or competition. Enjoyed with a glass of milk, they are also a good way to start replacing glycogen stores after a training session. Try replacing the cherries with dark chocolate chunks and walnuts for broken up brazil nuts, or experiment with your favourite dried fruit and nuts.
1 small sweet potato (about 225g/8oz)
100g/3½oz low-fat margarine
100g/3½oz dark/bittersweet chocolate, (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
100g/3½oz/½ cup dark soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g/3½oz/heaped ¾ cup plain/all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
50g/1¼ oz/heaped ⅓cup sour cherries
75g/2½oz/heaped½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
2 Pierce the potato with a fork and bake for 1 hour, or until soft. Leave until cool enough to handle, then scoop out the flesh into a bowl. You should have about 200g/7oz. While it is cooling, turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and line an 18cm/7in square cake pan with baking paper or kitchen foil.
3 Melt the margarine in a saucepan over a low heat, add the chocolate and stir until half melted, then remove from the heat and stir until melted.
4 Add the sugar to the sweet potato and beat until almost smooth. Stir in the margarine and chocolate, eggs and vanilla and beat until thick. Fold in the flour and baking powder, then the cherries and walnuts.
5 Spoon into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 20–25 minutes until a crust forms on the top but the brownie is still soft under the crust. Leave to cool completely in the pan before slicing.
Nutrition facts (per brownie)
Calories 172 Carbohydrate 20g Protein 3.5g Fat 8.9g (of which saturates 2.7g)