Zucchini Brownies

The perfect back-to-school lunchbox treat – delicious, super-moist, and oh-so fudgy chocolate brownies. The kids won’t even know there’s zucchini hidden inside.

Aug 27, 2024

I spent last week testing and perfecting a recipe for zucchini brownies. I know what you’re thinking – why ruin a good brownie recipe by adding zucchini. Please trust me on this one; these brownies are ultra gooey, super chocolatey, and you won’t even know there’s an entire cup of grated zucchini hidden inside.

Before we get to the recipe, let me share three important lessons I learned about making THE BEST zucchini brownies.

Lesson #1 – Grate it small

Use the smallest holes on your box grater to grate the zucchini. When finely grated, the zucchini just disappears right into the brownies. You won’t even notice it’s there.

Lesson #2 – Go eggless for the gooiest texture

The first time I tested this recipe, I added an egg to the batter. While the brownies were moist, chocolatey, and delicious, they were a little on the cakey side. One trick I learned years ago when making brownies from a box mix is to add one egg for fudge-like brownies and two eggs for cake-like brownies. That got me thinking, would I get the gooey, fudgy brownie I was looking for if I eliminate the egg altogether? The answer to that question is a resounding YES! These are some of the richest, fudgiest brownies I’ve ever made. If you prefer a cakier brownie, add one large egg to my recipe below.

Lesson #3 – Use mini chocolate chips

For a more uniform chocolate flavor, use miniature chocolate chips in this recipe. Smaller pieces of chocolate disperse more evenly throughout the batter, yielding brownies with little bits of chocolatey goodness in every bite. If you don’t have mini chocolate chips, use regular-sized chocolate chips and give them a rough chop before adding to the batter.

To your health,

Darlene

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ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

Yield: 16 servings

Serving Size: 1 brownie

Prep: 15 minutes

Ready: 2 hours and 45 minutes (includes cooling time)

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola or avocado oil
1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt (such as FAGE Total 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini (do not squeeze out excess moisture)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray, set aside.
Place sugar, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Add zucchini and stir until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips to batter and stir to combine.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out with a few clinging crumbs. Allow brownies to cool in pan for 1 hour on a wire rack. Use ends of foil to remove brownies from pan and allow to cool an additional hour. Slice into 16 squares and serve (for cleaner cuts, wash knife after each slice).

Nutrition Information per Serving

141 Calories, 6 g Total fat, 1.5 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 81 mg Sodium, 22 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary fiber, 16 g Total sugars, 16 g Added sugars, 2 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 5 mg (0%) Calcium, 0 mg (0%) Iron, 56 mg (2%) Potassium