Foodie Friday: Zucchini Brownies

I still had one giant zucchini left after making all that zucchini bread the other week, and I had already made bread pudding out of the leftovers from that. So, I decided to try my hand at something chocolate to use up the rest of the zucchini.

I used this recipe from Skinny Chef. As she says, "zucchini is very high in water and fiber content. It’s the perfect way to moisten brownies without adding extra fat and get extra fiber in your diet." I don't really need to have an excuse to make something chocolate, but this sure is a great one!

Ingredients:

5 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups all-purpose flour or oat flour, plus 1 tablespoon for flouring the pan
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups shredded zucchini, (about 1 large zucchini)
½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
Non-stick cooking spray

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Coat a 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with the one tablespoon of flour. Shake the pan until the flour evenly coats the inside of the pan.
• Place chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and microwave (for about a minute) until melted, then cool slightly:
• In a large bowl, mix together the oil, egg white, sugar, vanilla and melted chocolate until well blended:
• Stir in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon:
  
• Fold in the zucchini (and nuts):
  
• Spread evenly into the prepared pan:
  
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the pan:
  
• Cool completely in the pan and cut into squares:
  

These brownies are moist and dark and decadent. (And they don't at all taste like vegetables!)

I still have more zucchini, but next week I promise a non-squash-based recipe!

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Linked up at Vegetarian Foodie Fridays at Breastfeeding Moms Unite!, Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, Friday Food at Momtrends, Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker, Wholesome Whole Foods at Health Food Lover, Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home.