Healthy Zucchini Chocolate Brownies

This is a recipe we have always loved doing in our kitchens. It is perfect for the whole family and ideal for the children’s lunchboxes. It will definitely create a few envious faces:) Don’t worry you will have enough from this recipe to share with the other school kids ! The zucchini, also known as courgette, will be a subtle way of including more vegetables in the family’s diet. It is dairy-free since we have chosen the nutritious coconut oil. Raw and organic dark cocoa will give you the most benefits from the polyphenols (naturally compounds found in cocoa beans).As for the maple syrup, it works really well to give those brownies their gooey texture, but if you rather have an alternative, go ahead and let us know what the outcome was. Above all, who does not like chocolate brownies?

Time to prepare: 20 minutes

Time to cook: 30 minutes

Number of yielded brownies: 16 (when using an 8 *8 inch pan)

Ingredients

• 2 cups zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup melted and cooled Nutiva coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup  
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened raw cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon maldon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 ounces chopped dark chocolate or 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips (55% to 60% dark for a classic brownie taste; 70% dark for an intense, bittersweet chocolate taste)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center of your oven. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving  a little hanging over the sides. Grease parchment paper a second time. Set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and lightly pat a paper towel to remove some excess moisture. Do not dry the zucchini out completely.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Lastly, add the grated zucchini.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
5. Add dry mixture to the wet/zucchini mixture. Stir well to combine. Add chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Nearly there !Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean but with a few crumbs still clinging too it. Let cool completely before removing from pan with the parchment paper handles…or take your chances.