Zucchini Brownies - Gluten Free!

I love baking with vegetables for a few reasons. One you can’t taste the vegetable in the baked good so it is a great way to sneak it in for picky eaters *cough my husband cough*. Two it adds SO much moisture to whatever you’re cooking that it makes the baked good even more delectable. Three it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies at the end of the week or if you just happen to have a plethora of veggies hanging around.

I was lucky enough last week to be able to pick from my friend’s garden. She was leaving for vacation and entrusted me with the most gorgeous garden I have ever seen. There are rows and rows or basil, tomatoes, peppers, and so many pickle and cucumber plants, I felt truly blessed to be able to call this garden all mine for a week. Before she left she gave me the biggest zucchini, it was probably the size of a small child’s leg. I am not even exaggerating. I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat it all by myself because Mr. Picky (aka my husband) doesn’t love zucchini so I knew I would be sneaking it into his favorite things.

From this one zucchini I made three different baked goods and pancakes (more to follow on the blog soon!). Today I am sharing these moist and rich chocolate brownies. I found the original recipe here but I needed to make it gluten free because I was bringing it as a dessert to a friend who is gluten free. I was puzzled on how to make these gluten free so I did some research on replacing flour with coconut flour. This can be tricky because coconut flour absorbs liquid much more than regular flour does. I knew if I used too much than the brownies would be very dry and crumbly. Trust me, I know from prior experience - oops!

I found that when replacing flour with coconut flour the ratio is not 1:1. In fact the ratio is 1:⅓ plus the recipe needs an additional form of liquid. My options were to use another egg, add applesauce, or use milk. Can you guess the one I picked? Coconut milk, obviously! If you’re new here, first of all welcome, and second get used to the fact that I use coconut milk A LOT. I’ve found that the flavor doesn’t come through in the baked goods so it is a great dupe for regular milk. That being said, the batter was very liquidy but I knew that the coconut flour would soak most of that up while cooking, trust me it will! These brownies are very moist so if you don’t like a moist brownie I would suggest adding 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup more of the coconut flour. 

These were a hit with my friend who is gluten free. She even texted me the next day to say her kids were mopping them up for breakfast! If they’re kid approved then they must be delicious right? Enjoy these scrumptious brownies! Happy eating!

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Zucchini Brownies

by Kaytlyn Ferrando August-7-2017

A moist healthy brownie that will curb your craving for a decadent chocolate dessert.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate cacao powder
• 1 1/2 tsps baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup coconut milk

Instructions

1. Peel and grate about 2 medium zucchinis. Set aside.2. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In another bowl whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and zucchini. 3. Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and stir until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 4. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (or coat with nonstick spray) and pour batter in. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. 5. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.6. Let cool completely, then enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 9-12 brownies