Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies -June 2012 Diaries

     Where do I begin? It seems that I've put off cooking and baking long enough that I've had a relapse. Not to mention the sampling that comes along with it.... Unfortunately, I've had a kink in my neck for over a week and my gym trips have been limited. Therefore, the extra guilt for taste-testing everything I make is heavy enough to make me want to eat more. 

     Nonetheless, I come to you with a recipe including both angelic and devilish ingredients. I would omit the "zucchini" from the title because you'd never guess it was in the recipe. However, it is a MUST or the batter will be dry as dirt. 

     Thankfully, for me, Connor volunteered to sample them for me (so I don't have to). Bless his little heart. I think he might forget that he's the queen's taste-tester tonight and I fear that I might have to do it myself....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil- extra virgin, or you can use vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup Splenda
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Hershey's Dark Cocoa Powder
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups zucchini (shredded)

     Mix all ingredients except zucchini while scraping the sides of the mixer and then add the zucchini last. Mix until its turns dark and creamy. Line a 9x13 glass pan with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pan. Or you can just grease all over.

     Bake for 25-30 mins or until it springs back to the touch. I like my brownies fudgy and I normally take them out 5 mins early but I didn't with these.  I wasn't sure how well it would work since I used zucchini in the mix. I baked them for a full 25 minutes.

     A favorite of mine to use is Barlean's Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. The benefits to using coconut oil over other oils are great (health-wise). Honestly, everything that I've baked and used coconut oil in has NO coconut flavor or after taste.