4 Servings
40 Minutes
Allergens
A serving of vegetables in these espresso bars? You bet! Once again, the humble sweet potato gets mashed and blended and disguised in another recipe. It’s fudgy, rich, and has the perfect texture. Enjoy one straight from the fridge for the ultimate snack.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover an 8 × 4-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil, then lightly grease and set it aside.
In a small microwave-safe bowl or on the stovetop, melt your nut butter together with the maple syrup. In a large mixing bowl, add the mashed sweet potato, melted nut butter mixture, cocoa powder, and espresso powder and mix well. If you’re using chocolate chips, stir them in.
Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it’s just cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the fudge to cool in the pan completely.
While the bars are cooling, make the protein frosting. In a small bowl, combine the protein powder with the maple syrup and your milk of choice until a thick frosting-like consistency remains.
While the bars are cooling, make the protein frosting. In a small bowl, combine the protein powder with the maple syrup and your milk of choice until a thick frosting-like consistency remains.
Top the cooled fudge bars with the protein frosting or pour over melted chocolate and refrigerate until the bars are firm.
Omit the maple syrup and add a milk of your choice instead, along with one to two tablespoons granulated sweetener of your choice. Do not over-bake these, or they will come out too crumbly.
Notes:
*These fudge bars may seem undercooked when first removed from the oven, but they will firm up slightly.
*The bars should be kept refrigerated, and can be stored for up to seven days. They are freezer friendly too, and can be stored for up to two months for optimum freshness.
Reproduced with permission from Clean Sweets: Simple, High-Protein Desserts for One (Countryman Press, 2017).
