Zucchini Brownies

 

Yes, I know it is fall. There are apples and cider to enjoy. You’ve already got your license to pumpkin spice. You’re testing the limits of the amount of Halloween decorations the rest of your household will tolerate. I get it. But you know what’s really scary? The amount of summer squash I still have!

Since the yellow crooked neck squash I planted has been even more prolific than the always-reliable zucchini, I’ve been using it in place of the green stuff in my favorite savory dishes like Grilled Zucchini and Feta Dip, Zucchini and Cheddar Risotto, and Pasta with Zucchini, Corn and Fresh Mint. I still have to use up the zucchini, though, so I tend to use that in sweeter applications.

Enter Zucchini Brownies. You know you’ve hit squash bottom if you’re stuffing vegetables into your brownies. I’m so there.

These are actually pretty fabulous, however, deeply chocolate, and extra moist without being mushy. And, I challenge you to find the zucchini in the final product. Go ahead, look. I’ll wait.

 All the zucchini really does in this recipe is add moisture and fiber. Although you most likely won’t notice the added fiber, they will stay moist longer than you might expect for a pan of brownie sitting on the counter. Otherwise, these really just behave like brownies – chocolaty squares that ride the line between cookie and cake, maybe leaning more toward cake.

I stirred walnuts into my brownies, but, like any other brownie, you wouldn’t have to. You also wouldn’t have to add the instant espresso, but I like what it does for chocolate. You could add chocolate chips or some kind of chopped candy if you like. Really anything that you like in or on a brownie would go well in this mix.

Because first and foremost, these are just good basic brownies. They also happen to be, however, a way to trick someone into eating vegetables. Maybe just a few vegetables, but – ha, ha, you ate vegetables!

 

Zucchini Brownies

Adapted from afamilyfeast.com

 

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups shredded zucchini

¾ cup chopped walnuts

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a 13 x 9 – inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray or greasing it as desired. Set aside.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Whisk together to combine well. Set aside.

3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat. Stir frequently, making sure the chocolate doesn’t burn. When the mixture is smooth and creamy, remove from the heat.

4. Whisk in the sugar until well combined. Beat in the eggs until the mixture is very smooth and beginning to thicken. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

5. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the zucchini and walnuts, making sure they are well-distributed through the batter.

6. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth it out evenly. Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle of the pan comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached and no wet batter. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes 12-16 brownies.

 

Other recipes like this one: Cocoa Chocolate Chip Brownies, Chocolate Zucchini Quick Bread, Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Crumb Topping

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Recipe Revisit: Zucchini Quick Bread

I make so much of this stuff every summer. More than anyone but me really cares to deal with. That means I access this recipe from way back in The Archives quite a bit. And one day, I actually read my written instructions, and realized that I never really do things that way anymore. I mean, who has time to pull out the stand mixer and clean it later when the summer squash is piling up like, well, summer squash.

Anyway, I have adjusted the procedure for my go-to basic zucchini quick bread batter to reflect the way I really do things today: sift or whisk together the dry ingredients, beat the wet ingredients and sugar together, making sure the eggs get smooth and a little fluffy-thick, combine the mixtures while avoiding overmixing, and folding in shredded zucchini and, optionally, nuts. The batter makes two 8-inch loaves, but it also makes about 2 dozen muffins, and I’ve added muffin baking instructions. They take less time to bake and less time to cool, so provide something closer to instant gratification.

 

This basic recipe is great as it is, but it’s also a jumping off point for fun variations, and I do that often. I like the whole grain addition of a bit of whole wheat pastry flour, but you could use just all-purpose, or try another whole grain flour. You can put in some cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a particularly decadent version. You can stir in berries or add a streusel topping. In addition to cinnamon you can add more warm spices like cloves, nutmeg or cardamom, or use a spice mixture such as apple pie spice, Pumpkin Pie Spice, or even Chinese five spice powder. Or you can leave them all out in favor of citrus zest. 

Even some of the basic batter ingredients can be varied. The buttermilk can be replaced with yogurt, kefir, or a mixture of yogurt and milk. The neutral oil can become a flavorful oil, like almond or hazelnut, or melted butter. Take things to a new level by browning the butter, maybe.

Most recently, I baked half of the batter into a loaf and the other half became muffins. You could even make a 13 x 9-inch coffee cake. (Bake for 50-55 minutes.) There are just so many choices! Which is great, because with all the zucchini that are coming in, I need all the creative options I can get.

Zucchini Quick Bread

This basic recipe is widely variable. See the text above for some notes on variations.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or additional all-purpose)

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 eggs

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup canola or other neutral-tasting oil

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 8-inch loaf pans by spraying well with cooking spray or greasing with butter. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together with a whisk to combine. Set aside.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and pale in color. Wisk in the oil and buttermilk.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Stir together until most of the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the zucchini. Stir in the pecans or walnuts if using.

5. Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans. Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs and no wet batter.

6. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on the wire rack.

To make muffins: grease or spray the cups of muffin pans. You will need 20-24 total muffin cups. Portion the batter into the prepared pans and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to cool.

Makes 2 8-inch loaves of bread or about 24 muffins.

You can also make 1 loaf of bread and about 12 muffins with the recipe.

 

Other recipes like this one: Zucchini Berry Muffins with Streusel Topping, Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Multigrain Coffee Cake, Chocolate Zucchini Quick Bread, Chocolate Zucchini Coffee Cake with Chocolate Crumb Topping

One year ago: Fruit Crisp on Demand

Savory Zucchini Bread

Need I say it? I will anyway. There’s so much zucchini! I keep stuffing it into as much as I can. The baked goods are my favorite uses, at least partially because they can be squirreled away in the freezer for later. I was getting a bit tired of the sweet zucchini breads and muffins and cookies, however, so I tried out this savory version of zucchini quick bread.

I like the way the slightly vegetal flavor of the zucchini is enhanced by the Parmesan, fresh chives, and the dashes of garlic and onion powders. This might not be able to stand in for dessert the way a chocolate zucchini bread could. It’s a good accompaniment for a meal, though, and the leftovers are good toasted and spread with butter. I also liked it with some cherry-jalapeno jam for a sweet-savory snack.

 

The batter for this bread is thick, almost like biscuit dough. You don’t want to over mix it, so if the batter seems too stiff to stir, add a little more buttermilk. The zucchini will release its liquid as the bread bakes, so even if the dough seems dry, the bread will still be moist.

While I do really like to the flavors as they are, I think there is still room for further enhancement. Other fresh herbs would be good, and I think that chopped olives or sundried or oven roasted tomatoes would be good additions. You could also use a different cheese, like Asiago or cheddar, or take the flavors in a completely different direction with chili powder and cumin or smoked paprika.

 

It’s great to have another place to stuff all that zucchini that seems to be materializing out of nowhere in my backyard. Something less sweet is a welcome addition to my baking book, too, since there are apple and pumpkin desserts on the horizon! That will be sweet enough.

Savory Parmesan Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup shredded zucchini

¼ cup minced fresh chives

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch bread pan or spray it well with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, garlic powder and onion powder. Whisk together to combine well. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, and olive oil. Whisk together until smooth.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Add the zucchini and chives and stir together just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be thick. If there doesn’t seem to be enough moisture to moisten all of the flour, add a splash or two more of buttermilk.

5. Transfer the batter into the prepared bread pan and smooth out evenly. Bake at 350 F about 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with just moist crumbs attached and no wet batter.

6. Remove the baked loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 1 9-inch loaf.

Other recipes like this one: Zucchini Skillet Cornbread, Zucchini Wheat Bread

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