What makes these even better is the fact that they are gluten free, and can be nut free too! Woo!
I'll get straight to it.
INGREDIENTS
Brownies:
1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed of ALL excess moisture.
1 large egg
1/2 cup tahini (hulled or unhulled)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw cacao (or cocoa)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted & cooled)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (dairy free if desired)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped up walnuts
Chocolate Icing: 6 tablespoons raw cacao (or cocoa)
4 tablespoons coconut oil (melted & cooled)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch of pink salt
Optional: Dark chocolate chips to decorate
Optional: Extra sprinkle of pink salt or sea salt for on top
Preheat oven to 175 celsius. Line a 8x8" pan with baking paper, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. If your coconut oil (for the brownie ingredients) is hard, gently melt it over the stove and set it aside to cool.
In a large bowl, add the zucchini, making sure it is squeezed of ALL excess moisture with a paper towel. Next, add in your egg, tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. Stir until smooth and well combined. Gently stir in the raw cacao powder into the batter, mixing until well incorporated. Next add in the coconut flour, baking soda, salt and finally the melted coconut oil. Stir until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts if using any).
Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with just a few crumbs attached. It should not be completely wet, but a little gooeyness in just fine. Once cooled a little, removed from pan, but keep in the baking paper to allow to cool completely.
Important: Do not put icing on the brownie until it’s completely cool.
For the icing: If your coconut oil (for the icing ingredients) is hard, gently melt it over the stove and set it aside to cool. Once cooled, add your cacao powder, maple syrup and salt. Mix until well combined. Place brownie (still wrapped in baking paper) back into the pan that you baked it in. Pour icing over the brownie, and decorate with the dark chocolate chips (if using them) and an extra sprinkle of salt, and place the pan into the fridge to set for at least an hour. Once set, remove from baking paper and cut into 16 pieces.
Hot tip: Once you've cut them up, leave them in the fridge uncovered. They dry out a little around the edges which is perfect! It means they're a little crisp on the outside, and still soft and gooey on the inside. AMAZE. Trust me.
I have made these brownies a couple of different ways. The first time I just mixed all the brownie ingredients in a bowl, which worked well, but gave my arm a real workout as the tahini was quite hard to mix in. The second way was in the Thermo, which was much easier. If you do it in a thermo, make sure to add your zucchini and chocolate chips in after the rest of the ingredients though, so that you can and pop it on reverse to just mix it in, not cut it up.
I hope you enjoy! I have made three whole batches of these brownies now, and I'm about to make a 4th. Not even kidding! Soooo good. The whole family love them!
Leave me a comment or tag me on Instagram if you make them, I'd love to hear what you think!!
- A M Y D A V I S
