Fresh zucchini is my current seasonal cooking obsession. It’s abundant, nutritious, and pairs with most entrees. My zucchini dessert game, however, was stuck in a zucchini bread rut. What other treats take advantage of zucchini’s mild taste and magnificent moisture content? These delicious chocolate bites. Only 50 calories each, they offer a sigh-inducing fudgy flavor and texture, without the cloying sweetness of store-bought brownies.
Start with a firm zucchini that is devoid of mushy spots. Leave the skin on, since most of the nutrients are in the peel. In my first test recipe, I ran the zucchini through a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. The resulting slivers stuck out of the chocolate bites like porcupine quills. For smaller shreds (and maximum sneakiness), grate the zucchini by hand so that it disappears into the batter.
For my second test recipe, I replaced all of the sugar found in typical brownie recipes with natural applesauce. Unfortunately, applesauce alone couldn’t soften the sharpness of unsweetened cocoa powder. But the applesauce easily replaced half of the white sugar and all of the oil, which counts as a healthy cooking win.
These bites achieve maximum crave-worthiness after an overnight stay in the refrigerator. They are so tasty, I grabbed a handful every time I reached for a seltzer. Hoping for a modicum of self-control, I transferred the bites to the freezer. And that’s when I learned they are also delicious when frozen, like a healthier version of the brownie bits in your favorite ice cream. Fortunately, there’s always enough zucchini to make more.
Credit: Kellie Hynes
Credit: Kellie Hynes
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