The Best Zucchini Brownies

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I've been making these brownies for a while now. I think I originally came across this recipe on Ambitious Kitchen, but modified it a bit to suit my liking. This recipe produces brownies that are chocolatey, ooey, gooey, chewy, and oh so good! They are also vegan, gluten free, nut free, low sugar, and high in fibre. They've been tried and tested on picky eaters and kids, only to receive rave reviews all round. Plus, many of the ingredients in this recipe can easily be swapped or modified. Scroll to the very bottom to see my suggestions.

These are the kind of brownies that don't need much introduction. Rather I'll just post a gratuitous close up photo of one that I ate yesterday afternoon. Scroll down for the recipes. I hope you'll enjoy these brownies as much as I do.

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce or 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup, oat flour (store bought or make your own, see instructions below)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups grated/shredded zucchini (approximately 2 zucchinis) 
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (dairy free - I use Camino brand)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a loaf pan or 8 x 8 baking pan with coconut oil.

In a large bowl whip together tahini, apple sauce,  maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Add in zucchini, cocoa powder, oat flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix until well combined. Gently fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking pan or loaf ban and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top. Bake for approximately 40 minutes.  Enjoy!

Notes from the Kitchen:
-To make your own oat flour, place rolled oats in blender or food processor and process until they are finely ground (flour consistency).
-I’ve used spelt and whole wheat flour in the place of oat flour with great results.
-I’ve swapped zucchini with grated summer squash in equal measure and that worked perfectly.
-If you prefer very low sugar recipes, you can even swap in unsweetened chocolate chips. I’ve used Camino brand’s unsweetened chocolate chips and really enjoyed the brownies even with less sweetness.
-Finally, I’ve swapped tahini with peanut butter and that worked fantastically as well. You could really use any natural nut or seed butter for this recipe.