By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP
Vegan · Gluten-Free · Oil-Free · Low-Glycemic Friendly

Every December, I hear the same thing:
“Jen, I want to enjoy holiday treats… but I don’t want to feel bad afterward.”

I get it! I’m all about the holiday treats! My house used to be like Santa’s workshop, just ALL cookies, chocolates, and treats.

The holidays can stir up a complicated mix of joy and overwhelm, and your body feels all of it, the stress, the sugar, the rushing, the expectations. This is the time of year when your gut and your hormones need comfort.

So instead of white flour and refined sugar that send your immune system into panic mode, I wanted to give you something that tastes amazing but still feeds your body. Something your nervous system can relax into.

Sweet Potato Brownies with Chocolate Sweet Potato Icing.

Yes, really.
A brownie you can eat without the blood-sugar rollercoaster, the inflammation, or the next-day regret. A brownie made from real food.
And, a brownie your gut actually appreciates.

AND…these are fudgy, rich, cozy, and ridiculously easy.

Let’s make something your body and your taste buds can agree on.

Sweet Potato Brownies with Chocolate Sweet Potato Icing

Makes 12 brownies

Base Brownie Recipe

Wet Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups mashed cooked sweet potato (packed tightly)
• ½ cup almond butter or cashew butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• ½ cup cacao powder
• ¼ cup ground oats or 3 tablespoons almond flour or combo of both
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Optional Add-Ins

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 pan with parchment.
2. In a food processor, mix sweet potato, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. (You can just mix it in a bowl, if you want).
3. In another bowl, whisk cacao powder, ground oats or almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add dry to wet. Stir until thick and fudgy.
5. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate chips if you’re using them.
6. Spread batter into your pan.
7. Bake 25–30 minutes. Edges set, center slightly soft.
8. Let cool before icing.

Chocolate Sweet Potato Icing

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons almond or cashew butter
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1–3 tablespoons dairy free milk or warm water, if needed

Directions

1. Blend everything until smooth and glossy.
2. Adjust sweetness to taste.
3. Spread onto fully cooled brownies.
4. Chill 20–30 minutes before slicing.

This icing is silky smooth and somehow still made of plants. (Your holiday guests will never guess.)

Variations (Because One Size Does Not Fit All)

I know every body is different! We all have different needs regarding our blood sugar, digestion, food sensitivities, autoimmune needs. These variations give you options, so you can enjoy the recipe in the way that feels best for your body.

1. Alkaline-Leaning Version

Use Japanese or Hannah sweet potatoes, almond flour, and date purée instead of syrup.

2. Sugar-Free / Whole-Food Sweetness Only

Swap maple syrup for blended dates, applesauce, or pure monk fruit.

3. High-Protein Version

Add 2–3 tablespoons hemp protein or hemp hearts or your favorite protein powder. Adjust liquid slightly if needed.

4. Fully Grain-Free

Use almond flour only.

5. Low-FODMAP-Friendlier Version

Use Japanese sweet potato, almond butter, and maple syrup.

6. Extra-Fudgy

Use less flour + more nut butter + shorter bake.

7. Extra Dark & Rich

Add 1–2 tablespoons more cacao.

Why Your Body Loves These

Let’s talk about the why for a moment, because food isn’t just calories or comfort. The ingredients in these brownies do far more for your body than you’d expect from dessert.

Sweet potatoes are one of the most stable carbohydrates out there. Their natural sugars come wrapped in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals that keep your blood sugar steady instead of spiking and crashing. They also support the gut lining and deliver nutrients your nervous system uses to calm stress signals.

For me, they are my favorite source of beta carotene for vitamin A. Your body uses vitamin A to repair the gut lining, protect the mucous membranes, support thyroid function, and strengthen the immune system.

Nut butter adds the healthy fats and minerals your hormones and gut depend on, magnesium, zinc, vitamin E, plus the kind of slow-burning nutrition that keeps you full and grounded instead of craving more sugar an hour later.

Cacao is loaded with magnesium (your “calm down” mineral). This is why chocolate feels soothing. Your body recognizes the minerals it’s been missing.

Dates or maple syrup (if you use them) add sweetness without that immune-suppressing crash of refined sugar. Dates add fiber and antioxidants; maple syrup adds trace minerals your body can actually use.

And the fiber from the sweet potato, oats or almond flour, cacao, and even the dates? That feeds your microbiome, the good bacteria that support digestion, immunity, hormones, and mood.

This is a dessert full of nutrition that’s disguised as a brownie, It’s something your body, your gut, and your nervous system can actually say thank you for.

Want More Recipes Like This All December?

Inside The Culinary Healing Circle, December’s theme is
Peaceful Nourishment: Foods & Herbs for Calm, Joy & Winter Resilience.

Members inside the Circle aren’t just making recipes —
they’re learning how to listen to their bodies, calm inflammation, support their gut and hormones, and rebuild trust with food.

One month inside this space can shift how you feel all winter.

And right now you can try it with a
🎁 FREE 1-month trial — cancel anytime, no pressure.

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Because you deserve a holiday season that nourishes you.

Busted! I got caught eating brownies for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. LOL! When they’re made of real foods, why not?!