Zucchini Brownies

Yes, it is another zucchini recipe. I know, you're probably yelling at the computer chanting "No more zucchini...NO MORE ZUCCHINI..."

Think of how I feel? At one point I think I had seven ginormous ones in my crisper drawer. Unfortunately, two didn't make it through. When you get a pile of veggies that just keeps growing...things get forgotten underneath.

Alas, only one is left. I haven't had to buy zucchini for dinner in over a month. In another few weeks I'll be grumbling at the prices and wishing I wasn't having to buy it to make these brownies again.

Because, my friends, I will be making these brownies again. They are delightfully fudgy, due in part to the chocolate frosting on top.

I'm going to digress for a minute and talk about frosting. My Grandma (my mom's mom) used to make the best vanilla frosting. It was smooth and soft and got kind of crunchy after sitting on the cake. Problem was, my Grandma never measured. So no one was really sure how she made her wonderful frosting. In making the Zucchini Bars and then these brownies, I think I've figured out her secret: melted butter. I can't wait to experiment more to see if I can make the frosting from my memories.

So...back to the brownies. I was raving about how good they are. And they are. And they have zucchini in them. So they're healthy. Practically a vegetable.

One note about them - there are no eggs in this recipe. I was stymied at first, thinking I didn't print the whole thing. A quick search confirmed my printout - no eggs needed. The zucchini gives the moistness to the brownies. (This also makes them good for those will egg allergies.) The batter is very crumbly. I had to press it into the pan. It really all depends on how wet your zucchini is. If you have a drier zucchini, you may need to add a little water. If you zucchini is more wet, you won't need to. I've covered it all in the recipe directions.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! I apologize in advance if you end up spending to much at the grocery store because you've run out of zucchini in your garden. They are that good.

Oh, and, I started a Linky Party! In case you missed it on Tuesday, click HERE to join the fun. The link is open until this evening.

Oh, and if you're not tired of me begging yet, you can still VOTE for me!

Zucchini Brownies
Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini (1 large or 2 small zucchinis)
up to 1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the frosting:
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir. Fold in the zucchini. If your mixture is still very powdery, add up to 1/4 cup hot water (start with 1 tablespoon and work up from there, stirring well after each addition). The batter will be crumbly, but shouldn't be powdery. Add walnuts, if desired.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes until the brownies spring back when gently touched.
5. To make the frosting: Melt butter and cocoa together, stir and set aside to cool. Stir together milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies. Cut into squares.

Yield: about 24 brownies.

Enjoy!

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies

Do you still have zucchini in your refrigerator? I do. I still have three good-sized ones. Luckily there won't be any more (the plants came out of the garden last weekend). I don't think I want to see another zucchini for awhile.

It's gotten to the point where, whenever I put out something to eat (breakfast, dinner, dessert) my daughter asks, "is there zucchini in this?" like it's the most normal thing in the world.

By far, I think this is my favorite zucchini treat I've made to date.

I had seen a zucchini oatmeal cookie recipe in last months' Rachael Ray magazine. I was intrigued. But I've been wanting to try chocolate oatmeal cookies for awhile, so I decided to put the two together. I was nervous, because I made up the recipe as I went along. I haven't done many of my own recipes yet and I'm nervous each time I try.

But these cookies? They actually worked.

When I first tried them I was worried they didn't have enough sugar. They weren't totally sweet, like the other oatmeal cookies I'm used too. But the chocolate flavor hits a little after the cookie does and it's wonderful. And, because there isn't a ton of sugar (and there is actually vegetable in there), these make a great after-school (or lunchtime) treat. Jordan really liked them, even knowing they had zucchini in them.

But you know the best endorsement I got? It was from my husband. I mean, he likes everything I make. But he's not a total sugar person. He's famous for the "Wow! That's too sweet!" comment. (Whereas I'm thinking, "Um...are you crazy? There's no such thing!") He really liked these cookies because they are the perfect amount of sweet. The sweet is not overpowering. Which can be a good thing.

So if you have some leftover zucchini, give these a try. I am planning to make a few more batches for the freezer. My daughter loves to be surprised with one in her lunch box.

Enjoy!

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Happy Tuesday!

Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies

Recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup cocoa powder

3 cups quick oats

1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or spray them with nonstick cooking spray).

2.       In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa. Set aside.

3.       In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, oil, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients.

4.       Add oats and mix on low speed. Continue mixing on low speed and add zucchini. Mix until well combined.

5.       Scoop uniform balls onto cookie sheets. (I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.) Bake 11-14 minutes until center of cookie no longer looks wet. Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets before removing.

Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

Roasted Zucchini Pizza (with Homemade Sauce)

{First off, did you read about my first giveaway? Go check it out! It's open until this Friday!}

Now on with the matter at hand...

I have zucchini growing out of my ears.

Well, not literally. But seriously, there is mega-zucchini goings-on here in the Crazy for Crust household.

In the last two weeks I have made chocolate zucchini muffins, zucchini pizza, zucchini bars, and stuffed zucchini (recipes forthcoming). I have used zucchini in my Summer Salad (twice). I have stir-fried zucchini and put it in cous cous and turkey burgers.

And I still have five good sized zucchinis in my crisper drawer. Five.

This week I will do one or all of the following: (a) give some zucchini away, (b) make zucchini oatmeal cookies, and/or (c) dream about a monster, life-sized Santoku knife-weidling zucchini chasing me through the streets of San Francisco.

Needless to say, this is the first of several zucchini recipes I will be sharing with you.

This one comes in the form of a pizza. And, stop right there, don't leave. If you just were about to click the little red "x" because "Ewww!!! Zucchini doesn't belong on pizza!!!" stick with me for a minute. It's really good. And what was even better? The sauce.

I've never made my own pizza sauce before. {Gasp.} I've always used Contadina or Target brand or whatever was on sale. But never again people. Never again. Now that I know how easy it is to make my own pizza sauce, I'm doing it always.

Usually, my favorite thing about pizza is the crust. (Really, I'm sure you had no idea.) But this pizza? The sauce was the star. Even my daughter loved it. (And this from a girl who usually makes her place at the table look like a murder scene with all the pizza-sauce wiped napkins she uses because she "doesn't like sauce.") There was not one red sauce-smeared napkin to be seen anywhere. And that, my friends, is the best endorsement ever.

Make your own pizza sauce. Roast some zucchini and throw it on top with all your favorite toppings. Pizza + Vegetables all in one bite. Perfect!

Enjoy!

(Note: There is a print link embedded in this post. Please visit the post to print.)

Zucchini Pizza (with Homemade Sauce)
Sauce recipe from Baked Bree

Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the pizza:
Pizza Crust (either homemade or store-bought)
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (as much or as little as you like)
1 medium zucchini for each pizza (if you are making more than one)
Other toppings you like

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice zucchini and place on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray or drizzle zucchini with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. (This can be done ahead of time.)
3. Stretch out your pizza dough to desired size. Top with sauce, cheese, and roasted zucchini (as well as other toppings you choose). Bake according to your pizza crust directions.

Yield: the sauce makes a lot. I made two pizzas (1-lb of dough each) and froze enough sauce for two more pizzas.


This recipe will be linked with Savory Sunday (The Sweet Details) and Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch).