Chai Sweet Potato Pie Brownies
Dense and decadent brownies swirled with a creamy chai sweet potato pie topping and studded with crispy bits of pie crust! These brownies are the dessert of my dreams! A dense fudgy brownie is almost unbeatable for me. The kind where your fingers are greasy when you pick it up! So much butter! Topping this style of brownie with a chai spiced sweet potato pie was an epic way to finish my Thanksgiving meal! These brownies are perfect all holiday season, even starting at Halloween because cause of the great orange and black color.
The inspiration for this recipe
I was planning to make a sweet potato pie brownie for Thanksgiving, but when I searched for a recipe to follow, I didn’t see any. Most of the results were gluten free versions of brownies that used sweet potatoes as a flour replacement. What I wanted was that tasty creamy sweet potato pie filling swirled on top of my brownies!
I set out to make my own recipe, but of course because it was me, I had to do a typical TFIMB TWIST. I have been obsessed with chai lately so I decided to use that instead of the typical sweet potato pie spice profile. Also since it was inspired by pie I decided to incorporate crushed up pie crust. My original plan was to mix the crust into the brownie batter, but I decided it would be better sprinkled on top (I forgot to mix it in and sprinkled it on top as a last minute save but let me pretend I know what I am doing for a minute.)
Prep the pie crust topping
I just used a store bought crust for this. Sometimes I make my own pie crust but I didn’t think it was necessary since this was a sprinkled on topping and not the base of a whole pie! Just bake it on a baking sheet and then break it up.
Make the brownie batter
I used this recipe as a guide for the brownies. Spread the batter in a greased and parchment lined pan.
Make the chai sweet potato topping for the brownies
I roasted the sweet potatoes for this, then mixed them with some egg, sugar, butter, flour, and all the spices typical in chai tea. Swirl the mixture on top of the brownies.
I am not great at the swirl so I guess it was a good thing I had the pie crust to put on top. This was probably the best swirl I have ever done and it still looks questionable.
Add on the pie crust and then bake the brownies at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Serve the Chai Sweet Potato Pie Brownies
After they fully cool, cut and serve the brownies!
These were incredibly dense, flavorful, and delicious. The chai went so well with everything and the balance of sweet potato pie to brownie flavor was perfect.
My favorite brownies right now are from Sally’s Baking Addiction so I adapted the base recipe from that.
If you want more unique brownie recipes, check out my chili basil ricotta brownies!
Sweet Potato Pie Chai Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 2 large sweet potatoes roasted in the oven until tender
- 6 tablespoons softened butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cooked pie crust, crushed up
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes and the pie crust in the oven first if you haven't yet.
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter and line with parchment paper
- Start with the brownies- Microwave the butter and chocolate together in a bowl until melted and combined. Do this in 20 second increments and stir each time so you don't overcook it.
- Whisk in the sugar until combined. Next whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Add in the cocoa powder, flour, and salt and stir gently to combine. Stir well until fully mixed. Pour it into the pan.
- Next do the topping. Peel the sweet potatoes and add them to a bowl. Blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in all the remaining ingredients except the egg and pie crust. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your liking. Add in the egg and beat until combined.
- Swirl the topping onto the brownies. I am not great at this step to be honest but what I do is glob some topping on and then swirl it with a knife. Once it is spread out, add on the sprinkles of pie crust.
- Bake about 30 minutes until set and cooked through.
- Allow to cool as long as you can before cutting and eating.