zucchini brownies

It's zucchini time again. This year I've been over run with them from my CSA, definitely something I wasn't expecting. I was out-zucchini'd week one when I tried them lightly marinated in a vinaigrette which was too reminiscent of recipes I've had for several years. And then I saw a link to a recipe for zucchini brownies! Being a chocoholic, I couldn't resist.

I took my favorite parts from two recipes and made a couple of my own additions and they turned out great! Moist and a tad bit chewy, just how I like them :) These things are highly addicting, I basically ate a third of a pan in the span of an afternoon. Beware!

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 1/2 C sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh ground cardamom

2 C grated zucchini

1 C almond flour

1 C AP flour

1 1/2 C chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large glass baking dish with oil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the flours and chocolate chips until well blended.
3. Fold in flours, then chocolate chips.
4. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Next time I make these, I will try using all almond flour, as this gave it a nice density and texture. This would make it egg and gluten free, and just a couple tweaks away from being vegan!

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a long overdue intro to david lebovitz

I discovered David Lebovitz' blog last week...and oh how dangerous it is! I know I've heard about him countless places around the internet, but never actually took the time to visit his site. I instantly bookmarked a ton of recipes upon visiting his recipes page and honestly wish I had done so long ago. So far, I've had the Parisian hot chocolate, marshmallows, and cheesecake brownies, all of which are fantastic.


I really want to talk about the brownies today. I thought I had an amazing recipe with Jamie Oliver's fifteen brownies...I might have been mistaken. These brownies have that wonderfully fudgy texture paired with the sweet and tangy cream cheese. Honestly, I couldn't decide which was better even if I had them side by side. Nor would I want to!


As for the marshmallows and hot chocolate, I couldn't recommend them more! The hot chocolate tastes like a delicious, creamy, melted chocolate bar (which is basically what it is). If you go all out and make it with fancy chocolate, you wouldn't dare plop a marshmallow on top; save the marshmallows for other hot chocolate mixes or "lesser" chocolate...I personally used a half a king size Hershey bar (purchased super cheap at Grocery Outlet). A half batch of these marshallows do make quite a bit so I wouldn't recommend making more than that unless you plan on using them for something else (I've got my eye on some rocky road!).

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Coco Loco Brownies

I've tried a Rachael Ray recipe for brownies in the past and it was a total disaster...we're talking an inedible hot mess of chocolate and marshmallows. I found a recipe for brownies in her magazine and decided to try it, half blocking out my negative experience and half wondering what would come of it.

I followed the recipe to a tee. Did it seem right? It did not. But I stuck with it. While they are not the best brownies I've ever had, they are extremely delicious and I will recommend the recipe.



Coco Loco Brownies

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 stick butter (I used salted) at room temperature
1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 whole almonds, roasted and chopped (to roast, stick in the preheated oven until lightly toasted--do not let them burn)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (this will make it much easier to remove from the pan and put onto a cooling rack, preventing the brownies from steaming in the pan).
2. In a saucepan, cook the sugar and butter over medium heat until bubbling. Remove from heat, stir the cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp salt; cool for 10 minutes.
3. While cooling, mix the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
   
4. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs into the cooled sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in the flour, then almonds. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
5. Spoon dollops of coconut mixture over the tops of the brownies. Gently pat down any large mounds. Bake until the coconut topping is golden brown and the brownies are set.
6. Take the brownies out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
   

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Fifteen Chocolate Brownies

Jamie Oliver is genius, and it's not just the British accent. I found this recipe in his book, Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook. It's got all kinds of recipes in it. I've made his sticky saucepan carrots (which are REALLY good) and his brownies. I can honestly say I've never had better brownies in my life. It's better than even the Ghiradelli mix you can buy at the store. Of course, it's not as easy as adding eggs and some oil, but almost.

Fifteen chocolate brownies (p. 384)

18 tbsp butter
7 oz dark chocolate, broken up (I used a mixture of 80% cocoa and milk chocolate)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 inch baking pan with was paper.
2. In a double boiler (put a large pan over simmering water), melt the butter and chocolate until smooth. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the chocolate. Finally, add in the eggs until smooth.
3. Pour batter into the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes. It is important to not over bake these brownies, so do not test with a toothpick.

These brownies are perfectly moist and melt in your mouth. I found they keep for several days without becoming dry--likely due to the under baking.

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a little bit vegan

I ended up buying The Complete Vegan Kitchen cookbook a few weeks ago because there were too many good looking recipes in there. Just in the past week I've made two sweet items from it: brownies and coffee cake, both with pretty good results.

Brownies

1/2 cup very hot espresso (you can use strong coffee instead)
1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. To start, preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8" square baking pan.
2. Whisk the espresso into the cocoa and sugar until smooth (this is where the "very hot espresso" is essential). Add the vanilla and oil.
3. Gently stir/fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt just until incorporated.
4. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 35 minutes.

I find these brownies to have a slightly different texture than others I've made. Not fudgy at all, but a bit crumbly instead. I do think the espresso makes an interesting twist.


Coffee Cake

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cinnamon sugar roasted nuts, chopped
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 vegan sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square baking dish.
2. For the coffee cake topping, mix the brown sugar, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and chopped nuts; add the oil. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit of water until crumbly. Set aside.
3. For the batter, mix the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Add the sour cream (I used regular since it was on hand) and vanilla until incorporated. (My mixture was a bit dry, so I added a bit of milk. This again, of course, is not vegan, so I'd substitute soy, rice, or almond milk.)
4. Pour the batter into the baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

I really enjoyed this coffee cake, and the best part was how easy it all came together.

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