Zucchini Brownies
Rich & fudgy zucchini brownies are for those end of summer days where you have too much zucchini in the garden and you’re sick of making zucchini bread!
At this point you’ve seen how many different versions of zucchini bread I made so I thought it was time to move on. I was inspired by my banana brownies (one of my most popular recipes!) to use the last zucchini to make these super rich and fudgy zucchini brownies. I served them at one of my book club dinners with a scoop of Marbled Black Cocoa and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream for a true stunner.
How To Make Zucchini Brownies
This really is just a simple brownie recipe adapted from my famous Fudgy Brownies but the ratio of ingredients is a little tweaked to accommodate the zucchini. I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Shredding Attachment to shred the zucchini and I 10/10 recommend it because it makes it soooo much quicker and easier.
If you’re zucchini is really wet, I would wring it out a little using your hands and then measure the weight for the recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: the butter gets melted so it doesn’t matter if it’s cold but it is quicker if the butter is already soft. I like salted butter but unsalted works too, just add an extra ¼ tsp of salt.
- Chocolate: you can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate.
- Eggs: always use large, room temperature eggs. Place them in hot water for 5-10 minutes if they’re cold.
- Sugar: I use both brown sugar and granulated sugar in this recipe for the perfect flavor and texture combination. Light or dark brown sugar works fine.
- Flour: I always use all-purpose flour and don’t recommend substituting. Should work fine with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend though.
- I also HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is almost always over measured.
- Cocoa Powder: the better quality your cocoa powder is, the better your brownies will taste! My favorite is King Arthur Dutch Process Cocoa Powder or Rodelle Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. Don’t use sweetened cocoa powder though!
- Salt: salt brings out the flavor in all baked goods so I use fine sea salt in the batter and a little flakey sea salt on top is what I live for.
- Zucchini: I always recommend weighing zucchini because they come in SO MANY sizes. Some zucchini are also a little more dry than others so for this recipe, I recommend wringing it out a little with your hands before measuring it.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- Shred the zucchini and set aside (wring it out a little with your hands before weighing it if it’s really wet).
- Melt the butter with the chocolate chips and stir until they’re completely smooth.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugars aggressively for 2-3 minutes (can use hand mixer if you want).
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk again until it’s completely combined.
- Add the cocoa powder, flour and salt and whisk just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Add the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips and fold just until they’re evenly distributed.
- Spread the brownie batter in the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, remove and tap it on the counter. The brownies should level off if they’re baked. If they sink below the edge, put them back in the oven for a few minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 30-60 minutes before removing and slicing.
FAQs
When the top of your brownies no longer look wet, you can press on it with your finger to see how firm the brownies are underneath. When you move the pan, if the batter jiggles, it’s definitely not done baking.
You want to be able to push your finger on the top (in the center) and feel some resistance. It should feel like a brownie that’s a little “too gooey but almost perfect”. At this point, you’ll remove them from the oven and they will continue to bake as they’re cooling. If they’re firm when you remove them from the oven, they won’t be very gooey once they’re completely cooled and everyone wants gooey brownies.
Another thing I do to check for doneness is to tap the pan on the counter when I take it out of the oven. If the brownies level off perfectly, they’re done. If the center of the brownies sink below the edges, then put them back in the oven for a few minutes.
Many people like to insert a toothpick into the center of baked goods to test for doneness. Usually if the toothpick is clean or if there are only a few moist crumbs on it then a cake is done baking. That doesn’t work for brownies. We want gooey, fudge brownies so when we remove them from the oven, they will still be a little undercooked and will finish baking as they cool.
To get the perfect crackly top in general for brownies you want to make sure you whisk the eggs with the sugar aggressively for 2-3 minutes. It also helps if the eggs are at room temperature.
Also the melted chocolate chips contribute to that crackly top so make sure not to skip anything in the recipe!
Zucchini can be really wet sometimes. Mine was rather dry but if yours comes with a lot of moisture, try to squeeze some of the moisture out (wring it out with your hands before adding to the batter) and make sure the weight of the zucchini in the recipe is mostly ‘zucchini flesh’ and not the ‘zucchini juice’ that gets released from shredding it.
All in all, I wouldn’t expect a shiny crackly top on these specific brownies just because of the varied moisture content.
Ok I don’t know if it’s just me but if I’m not careful to take these extra steps, my brownies always end up looking like a pile of not so tasty brown stuff instead of a delicious pile of brownies.
To get my brownies perfectly sliced it’s best to chill the brownies briefly. I froze them for about 20 minutes after they’ve cooled and then I ALWAYS run my large knife under hot water between every slice I cut.
Yes, between every slice. Because they’re fudgy, some of the gooey chocolate gets stuck on the knife and if you just go to cut another slice it gets less and less pretty.
How to store brownies?
Once the brownies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container. They can stay at room temperature for a few days and in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Make sure to bring them back to room temperature when serving.
You can also freeze them in freezer bags or airtight containers for a few months, just bring them back to room temperature before serving.
You really can’t go wrong with brownies if you ask me, so if I can stuff them full of veggies, I’m here for it lol. If you have any questions, make sure to comment down below.
If you make these brownies, I would love it if you left me a 5-star rating or a review 🙂 and don’t forget to pin on pinterest!
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
