Fudgy Zucchini Brownies

I brought a pan of these fudgy zucchini brownies to book club and let everyone eat before I said a word about what was in them. Not one person guessed there was zucchini, and there are three full cups of it in that pan (yes, really).

There’s no zucchini texture, and there are no green flecks, just a dense, fudgy brownie that stays moist for days.

The best part is how easy they are to make when you have more zucchini than you know what to do with. Grate it, stir it into the batter, and that’s it.

If you want a plain version for when the garden isn’t (over)producing, I make my Classic Brownies year-round, and get a little fancier with my favorite Double Chocolate Cherry Brownies.

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Why These Brownies Don’t Have Eggs

Eggs have three purposes when you make brownies. They provide moisture, add necessary fat, and their protein firms up in the oven to give the bars structure.

The zucchini provides all the moisture you need in these brownies, though. Even squeezed hard, three cups of shredded zucchini carry a lot of moisture, and they keep releasing it into the batter while the brownies bake.

The half cup of oil covers the fat. Sugar dissolving into all that moisture gives you the fudgy, slightly chewy set, and egg protein works against that by creating a more cake-like texture.

There’s one more piece worth knowing. Baking soda needs something acidic to react with, and natural unsweetened cocoa powder has enough acid to do that, which is where the small amount of lift comes from.

Can I Use Dutch-Process Cocoa In These Brownies?

I wouldn’t. Without the acid in natural cocoa, the baking soda has nothing to react with, so you get denser brownies with a flat, slightly soapy edge.

Dutch-process cocoa has been treated to remove its acidity, and without it, the baking soda has nothing to react with.

Check the container before you start. The two kinds sit right next to each other at the grocery store, and the front of the package rarely spells it out.

Flip it over and read the ingredient line. Natural cocoa just says cocoa, while Dutch-process says processed with alkali, alkalized, or dutched.

I usually buy Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa in the brown container, and it’s natural cocoa. Their Special Dark is not, since it’s a blend of natural and dutched cocoa, so grab the plain brown container.

What’s the Best Oil For Zucchini Brownies

Any neutral oil works here. I usually use vegetable oil because it’s in my pantry, but canola oil does the same job.

I have used olive oil, and as someone who doesn’t want dessert tasting like a salad, it is a good option. There’s so much cocoa and chocolate in this pan that the olive oil flavor disappears, creating a richer, rounder taste.

If you’ve made my Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, it’s the same idea. Chocolate is the primary flavor, and the olive oil just deepens it.

Why I Add Coffee to Chocolate Desserts

Coffee and cocoa share roasted, bitter compounds, and adding coffee simply makes the chocolate taste richer and more pronounced rather than tasting like coffee in the brownies. Vanilla softens the sharp edges and makes everything taste sweeter, so I use both in almost every chocolate dessert I make.

I don’t brew a pot just for this since my husband makes coffee every morning. I just use whatever’s left once it cools. If the pot is empty, I use a half teaspoon of espresso powder instead, and both will work.

How to Shred and Drain Your Zucchini

You’ll want about a pound and a half of zucchini to get three cups shredded and squeezed. That’s usually two good-sized ones for me or three to four medium zucchini. Don’t peel it because the skin softens completely in the batter, and nobody has ever noticed.

Use a box grater, wide ribbon grater, or food processor with the grating attachment. Pull out any seeds you spot because they don’t break down and can give away the zucchini secret. I shred straight into a colander and let it drain while I get the rest of the ingredients ready.

Just before adding the zucchini to the batter, turn it onto a paper towel and squeeze until nothing more comes out. A clean kitchen towel works too, but I use paper towels because I don’t need more laundry. The harder you squeeze, the richer and fudgier your brownies will be.

Storing and Freezing Zucchini Brownies

This pan has a lot of vegetables, so these don’t keep like a regular brownie. Store them in a tightly sealed container and plan to eat or freeze them within three days.

To freeze, stack them in layers with parchment paper or wax paper between each layer so they don’t fuse into one solid block. They’ll keep for a month, and you can pull out one at a time whenever you want one.

Can You Taste the Zucchini in These Brownies?

No. Nobody I’ve handed these to has picked up on it, and a few people flat out didn’t believe me. You get all the rich, fudgy brownie flavor without a hint of zucchini.

Squeezing the zucchini dry and pulling the seeds makes that possible. It keeps the extra moisture under control while making sure there are no obvious zucchini clues in the finished brownies.

Do These Brownies Need Frosting?

They don’t. There’s a cup and a half of chocolate chips plus a half cup of cocoa in this pan, so there’s already plenty of chocolate going on.

Frosting would just make them sweeter than they need to be. I don’t even bother with powdered sugar because these brownies are plenty rich on their own.

Why Is My Batter So Thick and Dry?

The batter is definitely drier than what you’re used to with brownies. Before the zucchini goes in, this batter looks like it’s never going to come together.

If you’re nervous about the batter’s dryness, fold in the zucchini and let it sit for five minutes before you spread it. The zucchini keeps releasing moisture, and the batter loosens up on its own.

How Do I Know When Zucchini Brownies Are Done?

Go by the top of the pan, not by a toothpick. Melted chocolate runs all the way through these, and it can make you think you still have wet batter, so you’ll end up baking them longer than they need.

Start checking at 25 minutes for a surface that’s lost its shine and a center that stays put when you nudge the pan.

Are These Brownies Dairy-Free?

Everything except the chocolate chips is dairy-free, so it comes down to what you stir in. Use dairy-free chocolate chips, or leave the chips out entirely and you still have a rich pan of brownies.

Make sure to check the ingredients on the bag. Manufacturers change formulas without telling anyone, and plenty of chips that look safe have milk fat in them.

Can I Make Zucchini Brownies Ahead Of Time?

Within reason, yes. They’re at their best the first two days, so baking the day before an event works fine.

I usually let them cool completely, then cover the pan tightly and leave it at room temperature. They stay fudgy and moist, so there’s no need to fuss with them right before serving.

How to Make Fudgy Zucchini Brownies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Shred your zucchini into a colander and let it sit.

In a large bowl, stir the sugar, oil, vanilla, and cooled coffee together until smooth. Add the baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix well.

Add the flour, measuring it by stirring it in the container to fluff it up first, then gently scooping and leveling. Packed flour is the fastest route to dry, crumbly brownies, and you’d never guess that was the problem. Stir just until you no longer see white streaks.

Squeeze out the zucchini, then measure out three cups into the batter. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the chocolate chips and spread the batter into your pan, then sprinkle the last quarter cup over the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, and start checking them around 25 minutes. You want the surface to have lost its wet shine, small cracks just starting at the edges, and a center that doesn’t jiggle when you nudge the pan.

Let them cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes before you cut them, longer if your kitchen is hot. They set as they cool, and cutting into warm brownies gives you a smeary mess.

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