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Zucchini Brownies

Zucchini brownies with hidden shredded zucchini baked into a dense, fudgy chocolate batter. Expect a shiny, crinkled top crust and moist crumbs without being wet in the center.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
cooling 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry Grate and squeeze until dry; batter will look thin at first.
Chocolate and mix-ins
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided)
  • 0.5 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Optional for texture.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking pan, so it’s ready to bake immediately after mixing.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until evenly combined with no cocoa streaks.
Mix the batter
  1. Beat granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and slightly fluffy, with the mixture turning lighter in color.
  2. Stir in the grated, squeezed-dry zucchini; the batter will look thin because the zucchini releases moisture during mixing.
  3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined, then fold in half the chocolate chips to avoid overmixing.
Bake
  1. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the remaining chocolate chips over the top for pockets of melty chocolate.
  2. Bake for 25–28 minutes at 350°F until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (not wet), and pull the pan as soon as the top looks set to prevent overbaking.
Cool and cut
  1. Cool the brownies for 20 minutes in the pan before cutting, so the dense center firms up into fudgy squares.

Notes

Pro tip: squeeze the zucchini very dry so the center bakes up fudgy instead of gummy. Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze up to 2 months (wrap slices individually) for easy grab-and-go squares. Dietary swap: for a more reduced-sugar option, use a 1:1 baking sugar substitute designed for brownies.