Zucchini make these brownies extremely soft, moist with a velvety decadent crumb. So quick and easy to make and such a crowd pleaser! If you bring these to a party, you are most definitely getting invited back!
Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly oil and dust with flour a glass or ceramic 9x11 pan. Alternatively, you can line it with parchment paper (I prefer that as you can easily lift your brownies out of the pan once baked and cooled.)
Combine oil, sugar, kosher salt, cocoa powder and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. In another bowl, combine baking soda and flour. Sift the flour mixture into the oil-sugar mixture. Then gently with a fork or a pastry cutter, work your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they resemble a mealy powder. Do not overwork the dough as you don't want to stretch the glutens in the flour and make the brownie tough or cakey.
Gently sprinkle zucchini over your flour mixture. With a fork or even your clean hands, gently mix zucchini into the dough so that each strand of zucchini is nicely coated. At first, it will look like the mixture is too dry and it will never combine. Be patient. All you are trying to do at first is separate zucchini strands and get all of them coated with the flour mixture. Stir in your walnuts, or other additions of choice.
Do not add any water - your brownies will not be dry after they are baked. Adding water or any other liquid will result in dense cake-like consistency.
Spread your batter into your prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-38 minutes. The time will always vary a bit depending on how much moisture your zucchinis had. Start checking after 30 minutes. The middle should be set and spring back when gently touched. At that point, insert the toothpick - if it comes out with a few moist crumbs - it's perfect, take it out; however, if the toothpick comes out with wet batter on it, keep baking. Please note, if your toothpick comes out with absolutely no crumbs on it, the brownies are unfortunately likely overbaked and may be cakey. So watch closely as there's absolutely no need to overbake these.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing, melt butter and stir in cocoa and a pinch of salt until well combined into chocolate sauce. In a separate bowl, combine milk, vanilla and powdered sugar; whisk well to combine; sir into the cocoa mixture.
Spread over cooled brownies and allow to set uncovered for at least an hour for the icing to set. Then slice your brownies into squares and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly oil and dust with flour a glass or ceramic 9x11 pan. Alternatively, you can line it with parchment paper (I prefer that as you can easily lift your brownies out of the pan once baked and cooled.)
Combine oil, sugar, kosher salt, cocoa powder and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. In another bowl, combine baking soda and flour. Sift the flour mixture into the oil-sugar mixture. Then gently with a fork or a pastry cutter, work your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they resemble a mealy powder. Do not overwork the dough as you don't want to stretch the glutens in the flour and make the brownie tough or cakey.
Gently sprinkle zucchini over your flour mixture. With a fork or even your clean hands, gently mix zucchini into the dough so that each strand of zucchini is nicely coated. At first, it will look like the mixture is too dry and it will never combine. Be patient. All you are trying to do at first is separate zucchini strands and get all of them coated with the flour mixture. Stir in your walnuts, or other additions of choice.
Do not add any water - your brownies will not be dry after they are baked. Adding water or any other liquid will result in dense cake-like consistency.
Spread your batter into your prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-38 minutes. The time will always vary a bit depending on how much moisture your zucchinis had. Start checking after 30 minutes. The middle should be set and spring back when gently touched. At that point, insert the toothpick - if it comes out with a few moist crumbs - it's perfect, take it out; however, if the toothpick comes out with wet batter on it, keep baking. Please note, if your toothpick comes out with absolutely no crumbs on it, the brownies are unfortunately likely overbaked and may be cakey. So watch closely as there's absolutely no need to overbake these.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing, melt butter and stir in cocoa and a pinch of salt until well combined into chocolate sauce. In a separate bowl, combine milk, vanilla and powdered sugar; whisk well to combine; sir into the cocoa mixture.
Spread over cooled brownies and allow to set uncovered for at least an hour for the icing to set. Then slice your brownies into squares and serve.
