Chocolate Zucchini Bars
Freshly shredded zucchini is the not so secret key to making these chocolate zucchini bars incredibly sumptuous in texture, while still astonishingly easy to prepare. And once those sneaky little squash ribbons have been baked until tender and thoroughly melded into the rich chocolate batter, most folks will never even notice the zucchini is there. Served simply plain, or topped with a luscious layer of cream cheese frosting for a bit more drama, this quick and delectable dessert is a real crowd pleaser any way you slice it.
Servings 40 servings
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ cups vegetable oil plus a little more for greasing the pan
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups zucchini shredded
- 1 batch cream cheese frosting (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350℉ and lightly grease a standard size jelly roll pan (15"x10"x1") with oil.
- In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, vegetable oil, and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cocoa.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, and then mix well by hand until smooth.
- Add the vanilla and the shredded zucchini, and then stir by hand until the batter looks well combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased jelly roll pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges begin pulling away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool completely in the pan. If desired, spread a thin layer of cream cheese frosting evenly over the top before cutting into bars.