I know what you're thinking—do we really need another zucchini recipe? Why, yes, we really do. We need this zucchini recipe because it is rich, decadent, and oh-so-chocolatey.
Don't you just love desserts that incorporate vegetables, especially non-detectable ones? This moist, scrumptious cake is so delicious, you might find yourself unable to stop at just one piece! Luckily, this recipe makes two loaf-sized cakes—pop one in the freezer for a treat later, or take one to a friend. I promise you, bringing someone one of these double chocolate zucchini cakes will guarantee eternal friendship! Make friends and influence people with baked goods—it really works!
Ingredients:
Prepare two 9x5 loaf pans by lining them with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together ground flax and water. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Beat together ground flax and water mixture, sugar, coconut oil, zucchini, almond milk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spread mixture equally into two parchment paper-lined loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Allow to cool in the pan before removing.
Slice up and enjoy!
(Yield: 2 loaves)
Want more chocolatey desserts? Try my 5-Ingredient, 10-Minute Chocolate Mousse Pie or my Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie-in-a-Jar. Looking for sweet ways to use up all that zucchini? Try Katja's Zucchini, Chocolate, and Coconut Bread or Lara's Carrot and Zucchini Mini-Muffins.
In case you've missed the commercials and advertising that we have been inundated with since mid-July, it's Back-to-School time! Parents everywhere are reluctantly turning their attention to that universally dreaded task—packing the lunchbox. While I am a well-known proponent of unexciting lunches, I do like to dazzle the children with a variety of homemade treats.
Have you ever picked up a box of granola bars in the grocery store and wondered if you could make them yourself? Now you can! These homemade granola bars are so easy to make and they are customizable for your family's tastes. They are chewy, crunchy, and full of goodness. They are also nut-free, which makes them a perfect school snack!
Were you obsessed with Little House on the Prairie when you were a kid? I sure was! I remember Ma baking a pie and pressing her handprint in the top of the crust. Pa would say that there was nothing sweeter than Ma's handprint—it was baking with love, pioneer-style. I thought of that while I made this recipe, because the key to getting these granola bars to hold together is to press the mixture into the pan with all your might. Flatten your hands, press, press, and then press some more. If handprints add love to a recipe, then there is a lot of love in this one! Your children will surely feel the love when they open their lunch boxes and see these scrumptious homemade granola bars!
Ingredients:
Prepare an 8x8 square baking pan by lining with parchment paper. Allow the parchment paper to overlap and hang over the sides of the pan—these will be your "handles" to lift the granola bars out of the pan, so allow for a few inches on either side of the pan.
In a large bowl, stir together oats, crispy rice cereal, flaxseed, shredded coconut, mixed dried fruit, and chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together honey or maple syrup and coconut oil, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts foaming and bubbling, remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and salt, and stir well.
Pour liquid over the dry ingredients and mix very well until the dry ingredients are all coated. Place granola into the prepared pan and, using wet hands, press down very firmly. Press, press, press. Press the mixture until it is flattened and firm, and then press some more. Put your weight into it!
Place pan in refrigerator and chill for at least 5-6 hours (overnight is ideal). When granola is well chilled and set, remove from pan by using the parchment paper "handles." Cut into bars; store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
(Yield: 12 delicious bars)
Make sure the parchment paper overlaps the pan. Press. Press. PRESS WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT.
Lift the granola out of the pan using the parchment paper, then cut into bars.
Hey, where did they all go? Magically disappearing granola bars.
Want more school snacks? Try my lentil-icious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Loaf, my Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies, or my Cranberry Blueberry Bran Muffins.
Are you a sweet or salty person? I like sweets just fine, but salty snack foods are my downfall. I have zero willpower around an open bag of potato chips; I never buy them because there is only one outcome, and that involves me lying on the couch, bloated, with an empty bag beside me and chip crumbs all over my shirt. I like to avoid that outcome at all costs.
Can you relate? There's a much better way to get your salty fix, and that is with these delicious zucchini chips. The fun thing about this recipe is that you can flavour the chips any way you like—let your imagination go wild! My mother-in-law gifted me with not only an insane amount of zucchinis from her garden, but also with a bag of dried dill. Enter the dill pickle zucchini chip—just like potato chips, but without all the regret! For those of you who aren't fans of dill, I'm also including a recipe for plain zucchini chips, which are very tasty too.
These zucchini chips can be made either in an oven or a food dehydrator. I'm a fan of using the dehydrator, but the oven on very low heat will work just fine. For best results, keep it low and slow! The key to good zucchini chips is to slice them very thin, and to let them get very crispy in the oven or dehydrator. It takes a while to get that crispiness, and the mouth-watering aroma will drive you crazy, but be patient—the end result is worth the wait!
Ingredients:
Dill Pickle Zucchini Chips
Slice zucchinis into rounds approximately 1/8 inch thick. Use a mandolin for the most consistent results.
Place zucchini slices in a large bowl. Whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and dill. Pour over the zucchini and, using your hands, massage into the slices until they are evenly covered.
If using a food dehydrator, arrange evenly on the trays and then dehydrate at 125 degrees for approximately 6 hours, or until the zucchini is very crispy.
If using an oven, arrange evenly on lightly sprayed baking sheets and then bake at 200 degrees for approximately 2 1/2 hours, or until the zucchini is very crispy.
Plain Jane Zucchini Chips
Slice zucchinis into rounds approximately 1/8 inch thick. Use a mandolin for the most consistent results.
Place zucchini slices in a large bowl. Whisk together oil and salt. Pour over the zucchini and, using your hands, massage into the slices until they are evenly covered.
If using a food dehydrator, arrange evenly on the trays, and then dehydrate at 125 degrees for approximately 6 hours, or until the zucchini is very crispy.
If using an oven, arrange evenly on lightly sprayed baking sheets and then bake at 200 degrees for approximately 2 1/2 hours, or until the zucchini is very crispy.
Want more healthy chips? Try my Easy Kale Chips. Looking for more addictive and nutritious snacks? Try my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus or my Holy Moly That's Good Guacamole. How about a sweet way to use up those zucchinis? Check out Katja's Mouthwatering Zucchini, Chocolate, and Coconut Bread.
Printer-friendly version