It’s the end of August, and everyone (other than me) is figuring out what to do with the giant, overlarge zucchini they’ve magically grown in their gardens. As we’ve previously discussed, this is not a problem I have; however, I do happen to love zucchini and have gotten into the habit of tucking it into whatever I can.
Some examples of late:
Tropical Stovetop Oatmeal: cooking together coconut milk, whole milk, 1/2 of a sliced banana and shredded zucchini; top with cubed mango and toasted coconut flakes.
Savory Steel Cut Oats – thanks to this superfun podcast – 1/4 cup steel cut oats, shredded zucchini, 3/4 cup broth in an instant pot for 4 minutes, then natural release. Topped with chopped up faux sausage.
Obviously – coming up with more ways to fold zucchini into dessert was a reasonable next step. Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Blondies are somewhere in-between a healthier dessert and a zucchini bread. Incorporating the shredded zucchini adds moisture, which means we getto cut down on the butter; the result is a light and springy dessert, studded with rich chocolate chunks and packed with zucchini goodness.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup shredded zucchini
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla and egg, and mix well, scraping down the bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt
Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until almost fully combined. Add the zucchini and chocolate chunks and briefly run the mixer again, until all the ingredients are well combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan and cut into bars.
Strudel and Streusel are two friends living in different cities, sharing a love of baking (and butter) through this blog. With Streusel in Denver, and Strudel in Seattle, we've found our little site to be a great way to stay in touch, share recipes we love, and talk about experiences in our respective cities.
