If you’ve ever planted zucchini, you know how bountiful these plants can be! This quirky holiday is your chance to share the wealth with your neighbors—but don’t let them catch you!!!
Zucchinis were first known to have been grown in northern Italy, and were brought to the U.S. by Italian immigrants in the 1920’s. The largest recorded zucchini tipped the scales at 65 pounds, and was nearly 70 inches long! Zucchini has more potassium than a banana, and even its flower is edible.
We’ve all had zucchini bread, but have you ever had zucchini brownies? Try this recipe from the King Arthur Baking Company. We eliminated the frosting from the original recipe, because these brownies are super moist as is.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups zucchini (about one 8” fresh zucchini, trimmed), cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons, butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
½ teaspoon baking powder
Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons powdered confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9” square pan.
- Combine the zucchini, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, salt and flour; process briefly, just until well combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and pulse several times to break up the chips just a bit.
- Bake the brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it; you shouldn’t see any sign of wet batter. Remove the brownies from the oven and lightly dust with powdered sugar. Allow to cool completely before cutting
Nutrition info
Makes 16 brownies
118 calories
4 gm fat
20 gm carbohydrates
2 gm fiber per brownie
Tip
spray your baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, then line your pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the brownies once they’re cooled.