Ingredients:

  • 2 cups zucchini, shredded (300g)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted (113g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (13g)
  • 1 large egg (50g)
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (190g)
  • 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (45g)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (7g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3g)
  • 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (170g)
  • Ganache components: 1/2 cup chips (85g) and 2 tablespoons heavy cream (30g).

Instructions:

  1. Prep the oven. Heat it to 180°C (350°F) and line your pan with parchment.
  2. Grate the zucchini. Shred 300g of zucchini into a bowl, then transfer it to a towel and squeeze. Squeeze until you think you're done, then squeeze once more to remove excess water.
  3. Melt the butter. Combine the 113g of melted butter with 200g of sugar in a large bowl. Smell the warm, nutty aroma as the sugar begins to dissolve into the fat.
  4. Whisk in aromatics. Add the egg and 13g of vanilla. Whisk vigorously until the mixture looks pale and slightly frothy.
  5. Fold in the green. Stir in the squeezed zucchini. At this point, it will look a bit strange, but trust the process.
  6. Sift dry ingredients. Add the 190g flour, 45g cocoa, 7g baking soda, and 3g salt. Notice the rich, earthy scent of the cocoa blooming as it hits the wet ingredients.
  7. Add the chips. Fold in the 170g of chocolate chips until just combined. Do not overmix, or the brownies will become tough.
  8. Bake the batch. Spread into the pan and bake for 30 minutes until the edges start to pull away and the center barely wobbles.
  9. Make the ganache. While they cool, melt the 85g chips with 30g heavy cream until silky.
  10. Set and slice. Let the brownies cool completely before frosting and cutting. This is the hardest part, but they need time to set their structure.