When my husband and I bought our home a few years ago, we knew we wanted to make space in the backyard for a garden. The first year, we grew cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, carrots and (my favorite) zucchini. At one point, I ended up with a zucchini that was as long as my arm from my elbow to the tips of my fingers! That is a ton of zucchini my friends. And what do you do when you have ridiculous amounts of zucchini? Make some amazingly easy, yummy, chocolate-y zucchini brownies with melt in your mouth, gooey frosting of course!
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it doesn’t use very much oil/butter and because of the zucchini, they are so moist! Another thing that is great about this recipe is that it doesn’t require any eggs. How many times have you gone to make a dessert, only to find you don’t have any eggs? Not me! (*cough, cough*) Any time I bring these brownies to a party or dinner, they are gone faster than you can blink. I always leave myself a piece at home because I’m not sure I’ll get a piece otherwise. I’m not kidding!
First off, I always make the frosting before I make the batter. This allows the frosting time to cool off in the fridge so it’s ready to spread on once the brownies are cool.
For the frosting, you’ll need butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. In a small saucepan, melt the butter on low heat and add the cocoa. Mix well and then take it off the burner and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Beat well. Stir in the butter/cocoa mixture and mix well. Set in the fridge to chill and thicken up.
Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or tin foil. (I prefer using tin foil.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Now for the batter. Here’s what you’ll need:
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract until well blended.
A little at a time, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Now, don’t freak out. The batter isn’t what you’re used to batter looking like. It will be dry and crumbly–almost like a dry cake mix. I repeat, don’t freak out. It will bake up wonderfully.
After everything is combined, add the grated zucchini. When I grate and measure my zucchini, I press it down firmly into the measuring cup, adding just a little bit more than the 2 cups the recipe calls for–it makes them even more moist.
*Note: Grating zucchini when it is cold is much easier than room temperature.
Press the mixture into your prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the brownies spring back when gently touched. Remove from the oven and let cool. It is best to allow them to cool completely before frosting. (If you’re a little crunched for time, you can put the brownies in the fridge to cool.)
When you are ready to frost the brownies, take the frosting out of the fridge and pour over the top of the brownies. Using a spatula, spread evenly over the top. Place back in the fridge to set up, then cut them into squares. (I put mine in for a couple of hours, but if you don’t have that much time, an hour will work.)
Heavenly Zucchini Brownies
Frosting:
- 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 c. butter
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/3 c. milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Brownies:
- 1/2 c. canola (or vegetable) oil
- 1 1/2 c. white sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 c. all purpose flour (I have used wheat flour as well)
- 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 c. fresh zucchini, shredded
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or tin foil.
- For the frosting: In a small saucepan, melt the butter on low heat and add the cocoa. Mix well and then take it off the burner and set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Beat well. Stir in the butter/cocoa mixture and mix well. Set in the fridge to chill and thicken up.
- For the batter: In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla extract until well blended. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda and salt. A little at a time, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (Remember it will be dry and crumbly looking.)
- After everything is combined, add the grated zucchini. (Note: Grating zucchini when it is cold is much easier than room temperature. When I grate and measure my zucchini, I press it down firmly into the measuring cup, adding just a little bit more than the 2 cups the recipe calls for–it makes them even more moist.)
- Press the mixture into your prepared pan and press lightly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the brownies spring back when gently touched. Remove from the oven and let cool. It is best to allow them to cool completely before frosting. (If you’re a little crunched for time, you can put the brownies in the fridge to cool.)
- When you are ready to frost the brownies, take the frosting out of the fridge and pour over the top of the brownies. Using a spatula, spread evenly over the top. Place back in the fridge to set up, then cut them into squares.
These look so good! We have a huge zucchini sitting on our counter so I think I know what I'm going to be doing with it!
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YUM!! These look awesome. What a great idea!
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Yummm! I have never been a zucchini fan until recently. I will have to try these!
-Betsy
http://www.goldwilldigger.com
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Mmm I'm so excited to try this! We have two zucchini plants and so have been eating a lot of it! Ha, but I don't have a brownie recipe, so I'm excited you posted this!
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Yes! Make brownies! They have zucchini in them so they are healthy right? 😉
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I've never had these before but with the end result looking like that I don't know where I have been hiding! Going to the store tomorrow!
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They are SO good and a great way to use up extra zucchini.
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Oddly enough, zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables, but I didn't even try it until I was in college! I hope you love them Betsy!
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Perfect timing Britt! What better to do with extra zucchini than to turn it into a brownie? 😉
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You'll probably either love me or hate me for introducing these brownies to you Alyssa! 😉 I hope you enjoy them.
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Ooh I love the idea of these, zucchini is so versatile! They look delicious!
La Belle Sirene
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It definitely is! I love apples for the same reason.
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These sound and look so good! When I first saw this I thought “zucchini brownies… no thanks” but now that I see them I definitely want them!
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These look so decadent and delicious! Definitely need to give these a try sometime! 🙂
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Haha, yeah, if you've never heard of zucchini brownies or seen them, I could see how you might think that. But trust me, they are SO good!
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Cara, I'm not even kidding when I say I could eat a whole pan by myself! I left a fork next to the pan and I've been stealing bites throughout the day!
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I would never even have though about such a combo — but the end product looks delicious!
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Lora, if I could send you some through the computer, I would do it in a heartbeat. They are SO good!
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Never made Zucchini brownies – these look so soft. I have had breads with zucchini but I don't think I have had brownies.
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Oh Zan, you are in for a treat! They are super soft and so, so good!
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I would have never thought to put zucchini in brownies! Genius. Get some vegetables in the kids and they think they're just eating chocolate 🙂
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I am not a big fan of zucchini but these look so delicious! I will have to give them a try. Btw I am so jealous you guys have a garden, I wish we could have one so badly!!
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Exactly Sarah! The zucchini acts kind of like applesauce since it keeps the brownies really soft and moist. They are so good!
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Honestly Sabrina you wouldn't even know there are zucchini in these brownies just by tasting them. They are super yummy though, that's for sure.
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