SRC Reveal: Sweet Potato Praline Brownies

Sooooo....The end of 2015 was CRAZY and I'm glad I had that month off from SRC (Secret Recipe Club for those who don't know). My oldest daughter got married on December 17th and my body decided it would be a great time to get a cold...so from the day before the wedding till now really, I've been sick..still coughing though I feel 97% better. With all of that, and the holidays, I wasn't really paying attention to SRC assignments...maybe somewhere in my brain I was thinking I had January off too, or maybe I thought I forgot to sign up for that month...whatever the reason, the other day I went on to the SRC FB page (which because of life I don't always do), and saw that Group C and D reveals were coming up..."hmmm", I thought, "I didn't get an email, maybe I forgot to sign up...I better check". Uh, good thing I did. While I didn't get an email (I checked), I was assigned a blog...yikes..I might have been THAT person that leaves an orphan. So once I received my assignment I had to quickly peruse my blog and find a recipe with things I had in my  house or that would cost very little money since it wasn't payday yet. I. FOUND. ONE. Phew!

Okay, enough with the drama. My assigned blog was Tea and Scones. The author LOVES to bake but her blog is filled with many, many other types of recipes. There are more than enough to choose from. I had pinned a few Indian dishes to try at some point, which is a stretch for me. 

In the end I chose to make her Sweet Potato Praline brownies. Can I just say I died and went to heaven. They were so good. I did stress out just a bit though. Not entirely sure why, but I was just worried about a few things as I went. In the end they were great. They really couldn't be held like a brownie, you almost have to eat it like a cake, it's that soft. 

The 3 things that stressed me out the most were:

1. The Sweet Potato. The recipe called for a large sweet potato. Ummm...what is the definition of large. I went to the original recipe and it said the same thing, just a large sweet potato. oookaay. Well, there's no flour so I'm guessing this is important, but I just bought what I deemed large. I don't know if that affects the consistency. Then they were still a little lumpy after I mashed them.

2. Egg Whites. They had to be beaten to a stiff peak then gently stirred into butter and sugar mixture...my butter/sugar mixture was pretty thick, so I used my mixer to mix the egg whites in, but then I was nervous that I just ruined the recipe.

3. The praline. I have never made praline and I just didn't know if I'd get it right. I'm pretty sure it worked. 

Okay, I'll stop yakking and get on to the recipe. 

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 large sweet potato
5 large egg whites
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Praline Topping:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar (confectioners)

Instructions:

1. Cook sweet potato. If using microwave, prick potato, wrap in paper towel and cook on high for 5 minutes. Continue cooking in 2 minute intervals until done. Or, prick potato, wrap in foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done. Allow to cool, then peel and mash well.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8" square pan.

3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. 

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar and beat at medium speed until combined.

5. Add cocoa powder, baking powder, and vanilla. Gently fold in egg whites till combined. Stir in pecans and sweet potato. (I used my mixer to do all of this).

6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until center is firm.

7. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter. 

8. Add brown sugar and salt and bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

9. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in evaporated milk. Return saucepan to heat and bring to a boil again. Boil, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer..(be patient, it takes awhile). 

10. Remove from heat and stir for 2 minutes. Let cool to lukewarm (wasn't sure what that was, but when it started getting hard to stir I moved on). Add vanilla and stir in powdered sugar and pecans. 

11. Spread over warm brownies carefully. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

These were well worth the bit of stress. You don't miss the flour and the flavor is wonderful. My hubby shared some at work today and didn't tell anyone what was in them until they were done eating. They were impressed. 

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With Joy UNquenchable,