Recipe: Zucchini Brownies

Adapted from the recipe by Maya Wilson, www.alaskafromscratch.com.

As the author wrote about this recipe, “The zucchini naturally holds water, which releases as it bakes, giving the brownies that fudgy texture that many say is essential to a good brownie.”

START TO FINISH: 45 minutes (15 minutes active)

SERVINGS: Makes 9 brownies

INGREDIENTS:

For the Brownies:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini, loosely packed
1 cup flour (see note)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch salt
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

For the Brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, then spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini. If your zucchini is extra watery, squeeze the moisture out a little in a paper towel, but don’t get rid of all the moisture; you want the brownies to be moist.
3. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the oil, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Whisk together until melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar, followed by the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until combined. Stir in the grated zucchini.
4. Fold in the flour, baking soda and salt until everything is just combined and forms a thick batter. Spread the batter into the foil-lined pan. Bake the brownies until they are set and no longer jiggly in the center, about 25-28 minutes.

For the Frosting:

1. While the brownies bake, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter together with the cocoa powder and salt until smooth. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until combined. Add the additional 1 tablespoon of heavy cream as needed until a pourable frosting is achieved.
2. Remove the brownies from the oven. Gently pour the frosting over the brownies and spread with an off-set spatula. Allow the brownies to cool and the frosting to begin to set, at least 15 minutes, before removing the foil from the pan and slicing.

Note: These brownies can easily be made gluten free. Use a neutral (light) gluten-free flour, such as those made from a blend of rice flours. Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour, King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour and Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend would all work well in this recipe. Blend 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum into your flour blend or omit if your blend already includes it.

The Raven’s Circle would like to feature our readers’ favorite recipes! To submit visit ciri.com/recipe.