One of my best friends recently celebrated a birthday, which coincidentally coincided with book club. While she had high hopes for a pie, I realized well into the work week that a homemade and store-bought pie were out of the question.
I happened to have in my possession quite a few zucchinis thanks to a failed zucchini chips recipe (short story – I went to bed and forgot they were in the oven). So, I text my friend asking if she was a fan of zucchini brownies (she was). Thus, her birthday dessert was in motion.
I added some chocolate chunk chips to the batter (Trader Joe’s version) because more chocolate = better. They came out more cake-like than brownie-like, but none-the-less, they were still super tasty. Many people inquired if they were healthy because they contained zucchini – not-so-much. But if it makes people feel better, then yes, they are super healthy 😉 In my opinion, dessert is not supposed to be healthy. That’s why it’s called dessert. Indulge every once in awhile. It’s fine. (Really, it is.)
Extra Fudgy Zucchini Brownies
Adapted From: Chef In Training)
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 c. flour
- 1/2 c. cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2-2 c. finely shredded zucchini (I used my food processor for this)
- 1/2 c. chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter or butter spray. Mix oil, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl. Beat in egg. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and mix until blended. Add zucchini and blend. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake 25-20 minutes or until done.
For the frosting…
The frosting makes the brownies, in my opinion. It’s super sugary, but oh-so-good.
- 1/4 c. butter
- 1/4 c. half-and-half (or milk – I used half-and-half because we don’t drink regular milk)
- 6 Tbsp. cocoa
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Melt butter, half-and-half and cocoa in a microwave safe bowl. When melted, add powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies.
*No picture exists because I literally made these, went to bed, then they travelled in my school bag all day to my friend’s house. At that point, a the brownies looked rather defeated (but still delicious)!
