Zucchini Surplus Yields Sweet Treats

It’s summer in Michigan. What neighbor or friend hasn’t pawned off on your family a plastic bag chock full of zucchini? Don’t scoff at this gift, use it to make killer baked goods and drive them mad with envy at the neighborhood potluck. This post will not only turn out tasty goodies, but more importantly make you LOOK like a kitchen god/goddess.

First up: Blueberry Zucchini Bread

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose whole grain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 pint fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans, or 2 large loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, applesauce vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini (I drained mine slightly). Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.

Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven for mini loaves or upwards of 1 hour and 20 minutes (depending on your oven) for the large loaf pans. Play it safe and bake until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

One funny thing that I noticed during my bread experiment…the pan on the R in the pics was sprayed with Pam and floured, the one on the left was sprayed with Pam but not floured. Look at the difference in loaf shape! I don’t bake too much so this came as a surprise to me.

Next, the show stopper: Zucchini Brownies

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (toasted, optional)

Frosting:

• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. RESIST the urge to look at this mix and say “it needs moisture”. When you add the zucchini, it will all make sense. Fold in the zucchini and nuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

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Both of these are easily veganized, just incorporate the usual suspects for subbing.

Recipes adapted from several over at allrecipes.com.