Zucchini Brownies

I love zucchini. I always thought that I hated zucchini until about two years ago and now I can't get enough of that stuff. Some of our favorite dinners include zucchini and I really wanted to try my hand at baking with zucchini. So I decided to try a zucchini brownie. Now, my absolute favorite brownies are the Ghirardelli brownies made from the box (they are pretty much perfection). And I never really liked homemade brownies because they never taste as good as the ones from the box. But this one actually came really close to the Ghirardelli ones, especially with some delicious homemade whipped cream on top. Yum! And not only did they have zucchini in them, but I also made them with whole wheat flour. I was very happy with how they turned out! I even fed them to my niece and brother and they both liked them without knowing what was in them! I am definitely going to be making these more often.

(Sorry for the blurry iPhone photo. And yes, that is our Bumbo that Charlie has a love/hate relationship with.)

Whole Wheat Zucchini Brownies (adapted from this recipe)

-1/2 cup canola oil
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-2 cups whole wheat flour (I just get mine from the bulk bins at Winco)
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (I just used a whole medium zucchini)
-1 1/2 cups Ghirardelli milk chocolate baking chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the whole wheat flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

2. Bake for 40-45 minutes in the oven (or until a toothpick comes out with just a little goop on it, if you want your brownies gooey that is). The original recipe bakes the brownies in a 9x13-inch pan and you only have to bake it for 25-30 minutes (I just like to use my 8x8 because it doesn't stick as much).