So ever since I really gave Sweet Potatoes a chance and realized they didn’t suck I kinda have been hooked on ’em. For me it was taking a simple baked sweet potato and TKWing it up. By adding honey and roasted grapes I took something that I thought was icky into something that was simply amazing! I made the sweet potato classy and elegant with that dish. Like clockwork every week I bake 4-6 of them for us to have during the week. Hands down the BEST way to make Sweet Potatoes are to bake them. There is just something magical about a crispy skinned potato and that tender, almost creamy, inside. Mr. Fantabulous loves his with brown sugar, cinnamon and just a hint of butter. For me I find that too sweet so that’s why I go with the roasted grapes and honey.
Well one week I found that we just weren’t eating them up like we normally do and since you know how I abhor wasting food I NEEDED to come up with some way to use the baked potatoes. Sure I could have gone with one of my sweet potato casseroles, but I had been craving something dessert-ish. Mr. Fantabulous could tell I was in thinking mode as while we were eating dinner I wasn’t really paying attention and I was kinda looking up and to the left (apparently I do this when I’m in deep thought) *shrugs*.
Finally he put his fork down and asked what was on my mind. I said that I needed an idea on how to use the leftover sweet potatoes in the fridge because I knew we were both kinda tired of having them nightly but that I didn’t want to throw them away. He just shrugged, mumbled that was my department and he’d eat whatever I turned it into. In the next breath and or next forkful he asked about dessert. I was so consumed with those damn sweet potatoes that I completely forgot about dessert. I had no ice cream, no cookies made, no candy… nada already made. Then it dawned on me…
People make sweet potato pie all the time. Why can’t I make a sweet potato bar or cookie? Well apparently Mr. Fantabulous said I was in deep thought again because he asked me 3 more times before he nudged me. LOL I just said “Let me make something. Go work downstairs and we’ll have dessert later, k?” which meant honey I got squat for you but I’m creative mode so chillax babe.
So we, yes WE, quickly cleared off the dinner dishes and I sent him upon his merry way to go play with the power tools that I’m not allowed to touch <grumble>. It’s funny actually. I can use the excavator and the tractor but OMG if I touch a power tool you’d think I’m setting it on fire or selling it on the black market! I mean just because he saw me using his drill bits and screwdrivers to dig holes in the yard to plant herbs I’m now banned from life of ever touching them. No wait, I am “allowed” to touch them when I’m with him and he needs me to hand it to him but before I hand him anything I get the same “… and do NOT touch the power/on button”.
I mean I couldn’t find my shovel and hoe… But then again the same is true with my pots, pans and utensils. We have a black top driveway and he was going to seal it himself. I arrived home one day to find him stirring the blacktop stuff in a kettle with one of my big kitchen spoons (the big long ones that you use for serving!). Now granted it wasn’t a super expensive one but seriously… a kitchen utensil? Use a friggen tree branch, not my spoon!
As he was downstairs doing manly crap I began to toss stuff in the mixer. A little of this, a little of that and before I knew it I had one killer raw dough. Yeah I know, don’t eat raw dough.. blah blah blah. You don’t have to eat it but I like raw dough. Plus it’s part of how I know something will turn out right taste-wise. I decided to go with bar cookies as it truly was the easiest thing for me to do. Just plop the dough in, press it down and bake away.Once they were done and cooled I decided to drizzle a little bit of cinnamon cream glaze on top to just give it a hue of sophistication.
Eventually Mr. Fantabulous came upstairs looking for dessert. As I put this in front of him with a cup of coffee he gave me the raised eyebrow look. I’m used to the face of “what is this? This is new. what if I don’t like it???” that I just ignore it. The bars were still midly warm inside so as you bit in they just seemed to melt in your mouth. The expression on his face all wide-eyed and that small smile forming at the corners of his mouth was indication enough that I had a winner. As he inhaled half of it on his first bite he put it down and said “Wow this is really good. Um, what is it?” as he inhaled the other half looking at my piece. I then decided to play 20 questions with him and said “Guess what’s in int?” to which his first 3 responses were ‘bacon, cheese, avocado’. LOL Guess I’m a creature of habit huh?
After a minute of guessing and him getting annoyed, not at my questions but at the fact that I was actually eating my piece and not giving it to him. I finally put my piece down, told him it was sweet potatoes. Not a ‘Wow!’, nada… just ‘huh, cool’ as he stole the rest of my piece. LOL
If you wanted to make these more healthy you could add in some protein powder to the mix (vanilla would be awesome) and honey in lieu of the brown sugar.
I’ve made these as both bars and cookies so I’m giving you both options in the recipe. I actually prefer the bars while he prefers the cookies. There’s zero difference in taste, just appearance so go with what easiest for you!
PrintSweet Potato Cookie Bars
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Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup baked sweet potato (about 1 medium-large potato)
- 3/4 cup coconut oil, very soft (or melted then cooled slightly)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 – 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup raw coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2–3 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. To make bars, line 2 8×8 square pans with parchment leaving a 1” overhang.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sweet potato, coconut oil and brown sugar.
- Add in the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate.
- Add in the vanilla and mix just until blended.
- Stop the mixer and add in the oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Turn the mixer on low to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides.
- Stop the mixer and add in the cranberries, raisins, coconut, pineapple and walnuts.
- Mix on low just until combined.
- To make cookies use medium size cookie scoop (about 1/4 cup) and scoop out the mixture gently compressing it into the scoop.
- Place on the parchment 1 1/2” apart (on a standard size tray you should be able to fit 12).
- Taking clean hands gently press the mounds down slightly.
- Bake for 9 minutes. The cookies will be soft still in the middle but the outside should be slightly firm.
- Place the tray on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Using a spatula gently transfer the cookies to the cooling rack (off of the cookie tray) and cool completely.
- To make bars, evenly divide the mixture between the pans smoothing out and pressing down to make even.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes. The mixture top of the bars should be somewhat firm but have much give inside (the inside should be very soft but not mushy).
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for at least one hour before lifting out.
- Grasping the parchment paper, gently lift out and cut into squares.
- Once cooled make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk. You want this to be thick and produce a ribbon when the whisk is pulled away.
- Drizzle the glaze over top and allow to harden before storage.
- Store the cookies or the bars in an air tight container. I keep mine in my fridge as I prefer them cold.
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