Zucchini Brownies

Please don't judge these by their name.  Please.  I beg you.  I know it's an odd combination, zucchini and brownies together like that.  But it works.  It so wonderfully, completely, magically works.  The zucchini takes the chocolate to a whole new level.  It's like those couples that you know, that are on complete opposite spectrums of What It Is To Be Human, and yet, together, they are a wonderful cohesive item.  They compliment.  That's what these brownies are.  So just make them.

And then eat them.

But... if you want proof they exist, be quicker with the camera than I was.

Zucchini Brownies


Ingredients:
3 cups flour
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 C oil (vegetable or canola... no olive please!)
1 3/4 C sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C buttermilk (or you can make your own buttermilk, 1/2 C milk with 1 tsp lemon juice added)
2 C peeled, grated zucchini (cheese graters work marvelously for this!)
shortening for greasing the pan
Chocolate chips (any variety, the mini ones works well, and the dark chocolate ones add a great flavor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together into a medium bowl(this step isn't absolutely necessary if you are short on either time or a sifter, but if you have the means, it does add a great texture to the brownies-- if you choose to omit the sifting, just mix them together with a fork).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk and zucchini.  Mix with electric mixer or by hand until well-blended, about two minutes.  Pour into greased and floured (or, if you have some left, use cocoa powder instead) 10x15 inch baking pan.  Top with chocolate chips.  Go crazy here, don't skimp.  I can very easily use an entire bag of chocolate chips with these.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  I think these take a different amount of time each time I cook these... not sure why.  This last time, I had them in for about 45 minutes before they were ready.  Just keep checking, and if the toothpick comes out covered, pop them in for another 5 minutes, then check again.

These are very very rich, so keep that in mind when cutting them to serve.  A little goes a long way!