Incredibly Fudgy Zucchini Brownies for National Zucchini Day

Sneak in some veggies in a batch of incredibly Fudgy Zucchini Brownies.

So good and no one will ever suspect there is zucchini hiding inside!

Happy Monday!

August 8th is National Zucchini Day and I’m sharing a sweet treat

using that zucchini from your garden or rolling around in your vegetable bin!

If you’re a fan of fudgy-style brownies, these Zucchini Brownies will not disappoint!

These brownies come together in less than 10 minutes using your food processor.

They’re moist, rich, fudgy and a great way to use summer’s most prolific

and overachieving veggie, the zucchini!

Best of all, picky eaters will never suspect these brownies have zucchini in them.

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Long time readers might remember this recipe and sweet repeat from the archives.

The zucchini in these brownies is puréed in the food processor, making them

incredibly moist without the stringy texture that sometimes comes with shredding it.

Note: My food processor weighs a ton, making it inconvenient to pull out for small jobs.

If you’re looking for a small affordable food processor, I found this one by KitchenAid

with 3 1/2 cup capacity, which had 92% approval rating out of 17,000 reviews.

It comes in lots of colors too!

With the moisture from the zucchini, this recipe calls for just 3 tablespoons of butter,

making them healthy-ish. ;)

To frost or not to frost:

 I don’t typically frost brownies but this ganache-style frosting is super easy to make,

heating up your cream and stirring in the chocolate chips until melted.

I like the frosting on these brownies as it allows for a sprinkle of flaky sea salt,

like Fleur de Sel or Maldon, to adhere.

The little bite of salt along with the chocolate equals brownie perfection!

Zucchini Brownies, recipe adapted King Arthur Flour

Makes 16 brownies

Brownie Ingredients

(1) 8″ zucchini, washed, trimmed, cut into chunks, no need to peel  (1 1/2 cups)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, for enhanced chocolate flavor

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see gluten free alternative below)

3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

Frosting Ingredients

3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used dark)

1/4 cup heavy cream or 3 tablespoons milk (I used 3 tablespoons Half and Half)

Optional: Flaky sea salt like Maldon or Fleur de Sel, for sprinkling on top of frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9″ square pan or line pan with parchment paper.

For easy removal when baking bars or brownies, line the pan with parchment, which is nonstick.

The ends of the paper provide ‘handles’ making it easy to lift the brownies

out of the pan to cut on a flat surface. Parchment also helps regulate the oven temperature

and can neutralize hot spots as a barrier between the pan and your batter.

To make the brownies:

Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, salt, and flour; set aside.

Combine the zucchini, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in work bowl of a food processor; process until smooth.

Add dry ingredients to zucchini / egg mixture and process briefly, just until combined.

Add chocolate chips and pulse several times to break up chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, or 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 allow them to cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting:

Combine the chocolate chips and milk or cream in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan.

Heat until the milk is steaming, and the chips are soft. Remove from the heat, and stir until smooth.

Spread the frosting on brownies, sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.

Place brownies in the refrigerator for an hour or so, to set.

Store at room temperature, covered, for several days.

To make these brownies gluten free, substitute

King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour

for all-purpose flour.

Note:  Ingredients that are naturally gluten-free, may come in contact with gluten during processing

or packaging, so if you’re on a strict gluten-free diet,

you’ll need to consider your other ingredients beyond your flour.

You might also like:

Chocoholic’s Zucchini Bread

An easy quick bread with a wonderful, moist texture, like a rich chocolate cake!

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