Zucchini Muffins:
First I made muffins using one of the giant zucchinis I grew. One thing I learned? Grated zucchini goes far, so I could probably literally make hundreds of muffins out of my one and 1/3 zucchinis! First I had to grate those ginormous zucchinis, which really wan't as much work as you'd think.You do have to grate it on the large side, though, because if you use the small side of the grater your zucchini kind of liquefies Then you do the usual muffin making process.
The recipe I used was fairly simple and can be found at this link on Cooks.Com.
ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. shredded zucchini (about 2 med.)
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 8 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches or line with paper baking cups. Mix sugar, oil, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide batter among cups. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until golden brown and top springs back when touched lightly. Cool 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from cups.
*Next time I would put in less sugar and add half a cup of pineapple to increase the moisture level. Other than that, though, this recipe was easy, simple, and tasty (almost cake-like).
Zucchini Chocolate Cake/Brownies:
I went to make Zucchini Chocolate Cake (check out the recipe!) and I ended up making brownies, haha. However, they were still delicious! Next time I think I would leave out the chocolate chips, though. (I made a few other changes to the recipe as well. I used canola oil instead of olive oil and plain ol' brown sugar instead of organic cane sugar. And one word of caution! Do not overmix. I did the second time I made these and the end result was pretty lumpy :)
**This recipe is from the blog "Chocolate and Zucchini" - http://chocolateandzucchini.com/
Chocolate & Zucchini Cake
240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
60 grams (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
180 grams (1 scant cup) light brown sugar (I use unrefined cane sugar)
115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, or 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or 2 tablespoons strong cooled coffee -- this is just to deepen the chocolate flavor, you won't taste it in the finished product
3 large eggs
350 grams (2 cups) unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini - 160 grams (1 cup) good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
Confectioner's sugar (optional)
Serves 12. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Grease a 25-cm (10-inch) round springform pan or a 22-cm (8 1/2-inch) square pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy.
Add the vanilla, coffee, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, chocolate chips, and about a third of the flour mixture, making sure the zucchini strands are well coated and not clumping too much.
Add the rest of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick. Fold the zucchini mixture into the batter, and blend with a spatula without overmixing.
Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or a chocolate glaze if desired.
My personal addition was to use super easy cream cheese icing to top it off.
1 package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
I use a mixer because it's waaaay easier, but you could mix it by hand too - although it might take awhile. Once the cake has cooled, spread icing on top and enjoy!!
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