Zucchini Brownies
Recipe by Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN | Photo by Erin Kunkel
Satisfy your sweet tooth and boost your nutrient intake. Yes, these fudgy brownies do contain sugar. But they’ve got so much more to offer, like heart-friendly cocoa polyphenols and whole grains. And compared to more traditional brownies, they only contain about half of the butter. Most surprisingly (and sneakily!), you’ll be getting some veggies, too. Mild and moist, shredded zucchini is delightful for baking, in zucchini bread and more.
Ingredients
½ cup (1½ oz/45 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (5 oz/155 g) whole-wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 large (10 oz/315 g) zucchini, unpeeled
8 oz (250 g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (7 oz/220 g) firmly packed brown sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line the bottom of 9 x 13–inch (23 x 33–cm) baking pan with parchment.
In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Set aside.
Shred the unpeeled zucchini on the large holes of a box grater-shredder. (You should have about 1½ cups packed shredded zucchini.) Place on a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Set aside.
In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, add the chocolate and butter. Stir until melted, glossy, and smooth. (Alternatively, you can microwave in a glass measuring cup until melted, stopping and stirring every minute to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.) Let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Stir in the cooled chocolate. Sprinkle with the cocoa mixture and stir gently just until combined. Fold in the shredded zucchini last.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until springy to the touch about 1½ inches (4 cm) from the sides, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack.
Cut the brownies into squares and serve. For any remaining brownies, cover and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Makes 24 servings
Serving size: 1 brownie
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Calories 153
Protein 4 g
Carbs 17 g
Fiber 3 g
Total fat 10 g
Saturated fat 6 g
Total sugar 9 g
Added sugar 8 g
Sodium 67 mg
Updated September 12, 2016: This recipe has been edited to clarify when you add the zucchini back in.
Updated July 12, 2017: This recipe has been revised and retested, to call for fewer eggs.
Hungry for more? Check out these other recipes for chocoholics.
- Dark Chocolate & Almond Butter Cups
- Chocolate & Coconut Macaroons
- Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Shake
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
In the instructions–at which step is the zucchini added?
The recipe doesn’t actually say when the zucchini is used…
The recipe says to set aside the zucchini after you squeeze out excess water but it does not say when to add it back in. This sounds delicious, just want to make sure I have the correct steps. Thanks
Hi Lindy! The recipe should now reflect when to fold in the zucchini. Thanks for reaching out!
I want to share sleep activuty with someone. This is new to me but my sleep pattern are very restless
Hey Shannon, at this time there isn’t a way to share your sleep activity with another user. As a workaround, you can take a screenshot and share that with another user, but there isn’t a way to do it via our app. Thanks for posting your question and welcome to the Fitbit family!
7 large eggs?? Is that correct? That seems like a lot of eggs for one recipe of brownies.
This sounds really good, I’ll have to try them! I recently came across a recipe for brownies that uses sauerkraut- which I thought was weird- but they ended up being really good! I totally recommend trying them sometime: http://bubbies.com/kitchen#Sauerkraut-Brownies.