Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Healthified Frosted Brownies!

Friends, let me introduce you to...

Frosted Zucchini Brownies:


I made these the other night and they were heavenly! A much healthier alternative to traditional brownies, and just as (or more) delicious! 


Brownies:

1/2 C applesauce
1 1/2 C sugar
2 C flour (I recommend doing 1 C white all purpose and 1 C wheat)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 C shredded zucchini

Directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9x13 baking pan (glass works best)

For the zucchini, you will need one very large, or two small. Shred using a cheese grater, then blot off excess liquid (I just blot along the top. Don't squeeze out all the moisture!). Set aside.
  
In large bowl, mix applesauce, sugar, and vanilla together. In separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon cocoa, baking soda, and salt and stir until well mixed. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture while stirring. Next, fold in zucchini. Spread evenly onto greased pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Frosting:
(If you want fat-free, lower calorie brownies, don't make the frosting. They are still delicious!)
1/4 C butter
4 Tbs unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C milk (you can use any kind)
2 C powdered sugar. 

In small bowl, melt the butter. Add cocoa to butter, mix, and set aside. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Once butter mixture is cooled, combine with remaining ingredients. Spread over cooled brownies.

**Note: The batter should be very thick! However, it should still be moist. If it looks too dry you can add an additional half cup applesauce and/or a quarte cup of water and a tablespoon of oil.

Enjoy the party in your mouth :) 

16 comments:

FWIL Sentimental Blog Content said...

I loved you before, but I love you a little more for introducing this into my life!

Courtney B said...

Yummmmm! Definitely trying this!
I made zucchini brownies once but forgot to blot the liquid.... yeah. They didn't turn out so good. So I can't wait to try again!

Leah said...

I just reblogged this on Pinterest and then saw it was from your blog!!

Unknown said...

Making these tomorrow! I haven't stopped thinking about these since you posted!

Betj said...

Tried this recipe, its a total mess. The proportions are way way off. You need nearly a cup of apple sauce and to add a bit of water.

Alexis Kaye said...

Sorry it didn't turn out for you!

Anonymous said...

I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great.. just waiting to frost them!

Anonymous said...

I had to add an entire cup of applesauce too. Didn't really taste like brownies, more like chocolate bran muffins.

Anonymous said...

I made these tonight and I added a cup of applesauce. They turned out so yummy!!! Thanks

Unknown said...

I made these last night minus a teaspoon of vanilla in the batter because I ran out and therefore, no vanilla in the frosting, and they turned out great! Very moist and flavorful! I followed the recipie including using one cup of wheat flour.

Elizabeth Kelsey Bradley said...

These look INCREDIBLE!! Going to pin them and make them next week!!

Anonymous said...

Going to try them with carrots and see how that plays out, thanks for the epic inspiration

Anonymous said...

I made this for dessert tonight with 1/2 of a large zucchini. It was delicious. I used 1 cup of applesauce and baked it for an extra 15 minutes.

Anonymous said...

I made this for dessert tonight with 1/2 of a large zucchini. It was delicious. I used 1 cup of applesauce and baked it for an extra 15 minutes.

Anonymous said...

How ma any calories approximately are in these?

Lisa said...

These are great! I love brownies and chocolate, but my stomach is kind of sensitive to fatty foods, so I love this recipe! I have made them 3 times now and although they turn out slightly different every time, they are fine every time. It just depends on the moisture content of your zucchini. If you end up with a dry-ish zucchini, you'll need to add some extra applesauce. I also ended up cutting 1/2 C of the sugar so they are not quite so sweet, and I used 1 tsp of almond extract plus 2 tsp of vanilla to add another flavor profile. Thanks again!