Recipe Swap: Zucchini Brownies

Today I'm thrilled to be sharing a Blogger's Choice Recipe Swap from a fellow Cincinnati suburbanite blogger, Melissa of Delicious Meliscious.  A long long time ago I had tried and posted about a Cincinnati-Style Chili which I had found through her blog.

For this swap, I wasn't sure what to choose.  The original plan was actually her Uno's Deep Dish Pizza but that was axed when I realized I didn't have enough yeast and had already done my grocery shopping for the week.  I also considered this English Muffin Bread with Strawberry Butter but darnit again with the yeast!  I never realized just how much I use/love yeasted recipes until this little delimma!  But then Tuesday rolled around and in my CSA box was a single small zucchini and a larger yellow summer squash.  It was a sign and I was being beckoned.  I was to make these Zucchini Brownies.

I had previously made this version of zucchini brownies on All Recipes which doesn't include any eggs and is super fudgey and topped with a chocolate frosting.  That recipe made me a believer and I remember I ended up raving about the recipe on the cooking message board after my first bite.  And yet...I never shared it on here...oops.  Sorry about that.  If you've never made zucchini brownies before, they're quite delightful and a nice change of pace from the (wonderful but completely overused) zucchini bread.  You can hardly taste the zucchini in them (and if you shred them finely, the visible evidence is all but obliterated) but can rest easy knowing they're loaded with lots of fiber.  

I didn't have enough zucchini so subbed some of the summer squash which worked out nicely.  This particular recipe was nice too because it used ZERO oil, butter, or other added fat AND used whole wheat flour.  The flavor of the cardamom was interesting and loved all the melty chocolate chips scattered within the brownie.  I have to admit though, that I prefer a dense, fudgey brownie and therefore the All Recipes version wins out for me...the frosting on that one also probably helped haha.

Yes, this was probably the most healthy brownie I've ever eaten but you would be none the wiser ;).  So go ahead and use that bumper crop or happily accept your neighbors extras and turn it into a chocolatey, cake-like, beautiful thing.

One Year Ago: Greek Salsa and Fussili a la Crazy Bastard

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 c (200g) sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c (60 mL) applesauce
• 1 c (150g) whole wheat flour
• 1/4 c (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 c (~300 to 320g) grated zucchini
• 1 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, and applesauce.
3. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into another bowl.  Add the baking soda, cinnamon, and cardamom.  Mix well.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry flour mixture and combine until well mixed.  Add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips.  Mix again.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 8"x8" (20x20 cm) pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out somewhat clean (note: because there are chocolate chips in it, you may get some melted chocolate on your toothpick!).
6. Allow to cool completely in the pan.  Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Source: Baltic Maid as seen on Delicious Melicious