Recipe: Chewy Zucchini Brownies (2024)

What’s even better than a rich, chocolaty, chewy, fudge brownie?

A rich, chocolaty, chewy, fudge brownie that’s good for you! These brownies are so full of chocolate flavor, you won’t realize that they’re also full of healthy zucchini. If you happen to be swimming in summer squash (see this post), this is a great way to put it to good use. And, depending on your garden needs, this recipe will work just as well with a yellow squash as it does with a zucchini.

I’m not one to try to hide vegetables in food, as though they are something that can’t be eaten without a clever disguise. Vegetables should be celebrated! But, if you can improve the texture and flavor of your dessert and get a few extra nutrients in while you’re at it, why not? My thought is, bring these to that company pot-luck dinner or the family reunion and proudly announce that they’re no ordinary brownies. If people avoid them, that means more for you. And if they try them, you’ll have made some new converts to the world of flexible vegetables!

Hallelujah for zucchini brownies!

To make the brownies gluten free, just use an organic gluten free flour mix. There’s not a ton of flour in the recipe, so it’s pretty forgiving if you want to experiment with flour type. I looked at a lot of recipes for zucchini brownies and landed on a variation of this one from the Lauren’s Latest blog. You can frost or glaze the brownies, but they are so rich all by themselves that I decided to skip that step.

First, melt some organic, fair trade chocolate chips with some coconut oil in a pan (I used mini chocolate chips…they melt so quickly, this step only took about a minute). Remove it from the heat and then stir in some cocoa, sugar, an egg plus an egg yolk, vanilla and then the flour and a bit of baking powder. Finally, add shredded zucchini. You’ll want to squeeze the shredded zucchini before you measure it, to get as much liquid out as you can. I love this because you can mix the brownies up in the pan without getting a bowl dirty. One less thing to wash!

Chewy Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

A rich, chewy, chocolaty brownie that’sactually good for you! Includes gluten-free alternative.

Ingredients

1/2 cup organic coconut oil (where to buy)
1/2 cup organic, fair trade dark chocolate chips (like this)
2 tablespoons organic, fair trade cocoa powder (like this)
3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice or honey
1 organic, cage free egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon organic pure vanilla extract (like this)
1 cup organic zucchini, shredded with the liquid squeezed out
1 cup organic, unbleached flour (or gluten free flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large saucepan, melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil.
Remove from heat and stir continually as you add the cocoa powder, the sugar or honey, the egg and egg yolk, and the vanilla.
Stir the baking soda in with the flour and add it to the batter. Stir in the shredded zucchini.
Pour the batter into a 9×9 inch square baking pan that’s been greased with coconut oil, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

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FAQs

What is the difference between fudgy and chewy brownies? ›

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

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Why are my brownies not chewy? ›

To make chewy AND fudgy brownies, we only need to use a little bit of flour. Too much flour will create brownies that are dry, cakey, or lose their chewiness.

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Why are my brownies not crispy? ›

Either you're melting chocolate into your batter and/or adding chocolate chips. One thought is that the melted chocolate contains more fat and less moisture than butter. So if a large portion of the fat in the recipe comes from chocolate, there will be less water to prevent that crust from forming.

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Why is my brownie not fluffy? ›

Brownies fail to rise due to the insufficient batter in your baking pan and not enough air has been infused, or your batter may not have enough egg or other key leavening agents.

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Which brownie mix is the chewiest? ›

Duncan Hines Dolly Parton's Fabulously Fudgy Brownie Mix

And if you're looking for fudgy, this is the best brownie mix for you. Even the fully cooked brownie was like chewing brownie batter. And it doesn't end there.

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How do you keep brownies soft and chewy? ›

Make Sure They're Airtight

To keep your brownies as fresh as possible, you'll want to place them in an airtight container. Unfortunately, the air is your brownie's biggest enemy, and even a little bit of it can quickly turn soft brownies into dry, crumbly ones.

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Why do my brownies get hard after they cool? ›

If your brownies are turning out dry, it's for one of two reasons - either you've overcooked the brownies or there is too much flour in your recipe.

How do you keep brownies from getting hard after baking? ›

Wrap brownies tightly in freezer-quality plastic wrap or a freezer-friendly bag with the air pushed out of the bag. You can wrap it in a second layer of foil or place it in a freezer-friendly container as a second layer of protection.

How to make brownies soft again? ›

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes. On an electric stove turn off the heat, Put about 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of water in the pan, quickly put the brownies in and cover it with a lid. Let it sit about 5 minutes.

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Is butter or oil better for brownies? ›

Note that while some brownie recipes do call for melted butter instead of oil, the butter can aerate the batter, altering the texture of the brownies and making them cakey rather than fudgy. So, while you can substitute butter for oil and vice versa, remember that it might alter the texture.

What does adding milk to brownies do? ›

One change is to use milk or heavy cream instead of water. This change will make brownies more moist and gooey since milk is more fatty and flavorful than water. A second change is to use butter instead of oil. For similar reasons to using milk, butter adds a rich and more decadent quality to the batter.

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Should you let brownie batter rest? ›

When placed in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, the batter can be kept in the fridge overnight and still be safe to enjoy in the morning. In addition to keeping your brownie mix fresh, refrigerating brownie batter can also help boost the overall texture and flavor of the treat.

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What's the difference between brownies and fudge brownies? ›

Fudge doesn't contain very much besides chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and if you want some inclusions like nuts, marshmallows, cookies, cacao nibs, peanut butter, dried fruit and so on. Whereas brownies contain cacao powder (no chocolate!), flour, eggs, butter or oil, baking powder and nuts.

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Do fudgy brownies look undercooked? ›

Want to make sure that your brownies are still fudgy but not raw? The truth is, fudgy brownies are slightly undercooked. The key is to make sure the center of the brownies is set and that the toothpick doesn't look too gooey when you remove it from the brownies.

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Are brownies supposed to be fudgy in the middle? ›

Brownies are perfect when the middle is just baked, so it sets to a fudgy, moist consistency - if your flour and baking powder are causing the edges to rise, cook and set too quickly, they will give the appearance of a sunken centre, even if the centre is perfectly cooked.

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Why are my brownies more cakey than fudgy? ›

Achieving a fudgy brownie is all to do with the ratio of fat to flour. A fudgy brownie recipe will use more fat than flour. Generally this is achieved by adding more butter or real chocolate to your brownie recipe. A cakey brownie recipe on the other hand will call for more flour in the ratio of fat to flour.