Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownie

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C, and line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with a criss-cross of parchment paper (i.e. you want to create a sling with the parchment paper).
   
2. Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips to the bowl of a food processor, and whirl it up until the mixture is very smooth (this will take at least a couple of minutes). Use a small spatula to stir in the chocolate chips, if you are using them.
3. Spoon the batter into the parchment-lined pan and smooth it out as best you can.
4. Pop the pan into the oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the surface is starting to crack and the edges have pulled away from the parchment paper.  
   
5. Let the bars cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then carefully and quickly (so as not to split the bars down the middle) lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper, and onto a cooling rack.
   
6. Once the bars are room temperature, transfer them to a flat surface (I like a cookie sheet) and into the fridge overnight, or for a few hours at least. When they are nice and cold, cut into bars and serve. Store any uneaten bars in the fridge.
   

Ingredients

• 1 can unsalted black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup roasted mashed sweet potato (see notes in method)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ cup date syrup

• 1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons almond butter

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• ½ cup natural unprocessed unsweetened cocoa powder

• ½ cup dark bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)