Chocolate Almond Zucchini Cookies

I can’t decide if I like cooking or baking better.

With cooking, I can usually be as creative as I want. Just a little of this and that and “oh look, there’s eggplant. Let’s throw that in as well.”

Baking, as I have come to unfortunately discover, is not so tolerant of my whims. That being said, I still pretend to be in science class and attempt to mess with the flours, oils, sugars, and leavening agents. Just usually in baby steps though.

A while ago now, I came across a recipe for zucchini cookies. It wasn’t the most “sinless” recipe ever, but since I had an abundance of zucchini, I decided to give it ago. However, I wanted to halve the recipe, in case I didn’t like the end result.

So, I followed that recipe to the T only to come up with the thinnest batter consistency possible. Totally confused, I added more flour.

Like over a cup more.

At this point, I was grumbling that the taste was going to be completely screwed up. And then couldn’t remember if I added any sugar or not. And if I did, did I halve the amount? My brother was pretty amused as I debated on what to do. He thought it was justice that I might add too much sugar after all the times I reduced the amount of sugar in my treats.

After this dilemma, I put the cookies in the oven at the standard 350 and just randomly punched in 10 minutes, fully prepared to dump the cookies in the trash. When I went to check in on them though, they were HUGE.

Now I was just totally baffled.

Looking back at the recipe (again), I realized that I had only halved some of the ingredients while keeping some the same (including the baking soda). Being me, I still had to at least taste my train wreck. And oh my god. It tasted sooo good! And the texture was AMAZING. Soft and thick with a crunch.

My mom demanded that I write up the “edited” recipe only… I couldn’t remember the amounts of ingredients I had put in. So the next day, I went back to recreate it.

And forgot to add the coconut oil.

Surprisingly, this did not alter the taste or texture at all. I then said screw it and totally changed up everything.

After all, if it’s going to be a recipe I was going to use frequently, I wanted it as good-for-you as possible. And as lazy as possible- meaning using no parchment paper and only one bowl.

And this, I am proud to say, is the result. The only downside is they don’t puff up as much 😦 Oh well, I’m still experimenting, so I’ll edit if I can get it back.

Since I made so many of these at one time, I put a bunch in the freezer. And then tried one right out of the freezer. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED! They are still soft, thick, and crunchy. But I don’t know, they take on a whole new level of goodness 🙂

Chocolate Almond Zucchini Cookies

(Makes 36 cookies)

Ingredients:

1 cup zucchini pulp, packed (This is NOT the same as shredded zucchini! You need to puree the zucchini in a food processor until it is a liquidly mush. Otherwise, the results will be different. This requires about 1 medium zucchini)

1 organic egg

2 tbsp organic molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped almonds (cashews also taste awesome!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking pans with cooking oil and set aside. Whisk pulp, egg, molasses, and vanilla together. Dissolve in sugar. Add in cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly stir in flour. Add in chocolate chips and almonds. Scoop into tbsp sized-balls and plop on the pans (don’t press down on them). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Store in a container or freeze.

Advertisement