Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
if you love chocolate and brownies, then OMG are you in for a treat! These brownies not only taste good, but they’re loaded with good for you plant-powered nutrients. They’re rich and decadent, with a double dose of chocolate and a moist, cake-like consistency. I used date sugar to sweeten them. So they are the perfect balance of sweet, yet low in added sugar. Date sugar is simply dehydrated dates that are pulverized to resemble granulated sugar. It’s sweet, with a butterscotch-like flavor, but high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. So you get a yummy taste without a spike in blood sugar. I also added in zucchini for an extra fiber boost. And don’t worry about tasting the zucchini. Zucchini is so mild in flavor and slightly sweet, you won’t even know it’s in there. As I mentioned, these brownies are healthy and delicious! So, let’s take a look at why these Double Chocolate Brownies are so good for you!
Rich in nutrients
Made with black beans, old fashion oats, zucchini and date sugar, these brownies provide a whopping 4g of fiber per serving. The soluble and insoluble fiber in these brownies will help to keep your digestive tract healthy and prevent constipation. These brownies are balanced with protein and healthy fat and provide potassium, folate, magnesium, vitamin A and manganese and antioxidants. All of these nutrients combined can help decrease our risk of heart disease, manage our blood sugar, maintain healthy bones and keep our eyes healthy, These are not your average brownies!
High in antioxidants
Every single ingredient in these brownies is rich in antioxidants, which help to keep our cells healthy.
Black beans - high in anthocyannins, quercetin and saponins, which may help improve fat metabolism, reduce inflammation and our risk of type 2 diabetes.
Oats - high in avenanthramides, a polyphenol that may help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Oats are also high in ferulic acid, another antioxidant that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in cell studies.
Zucchini - high in Lutein + zeaxanthin, which filter harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light and help protect and maintain our eye cells. When combined with a healthy dietary pattern, these nutrients have been shown to prevent macular degeneration.
Dark chocolate - high in flavanols, which gut bacteria further metabolize into additional anti-inflammatory compounds which benefit our immune system, heart and brain. For maximum health benefits, choose 70% or higher cocao.
Dates - high in flavanoids and phenolic acids which have been shown to reduce inflammation. Dates are also high in lutein, β -carotene, and neoxanthin, which play a role in keeping our eyes healthy.
Lastly, these Double Chocolate Brownies are not only delicious, but simple and easy to make. With the help of a food processor, simply grind your oats, then add your black beans to form your “flour”. Next add the baking powder, cocoa, half of the shredded zucchini, honey, avocado oil and vanilla extract and pulse to combine. Lastly, stir in your dark chocolate chips, spread onto a baking pan and pop them in the oven.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and if you need more delicious brownie recipes then try my Dreamy Pumpkin Black Bean Brownies. As always, I’d love your feedback. Make this recipe and let me know your thoughts in the comments, tag me @bloomwithbenutrition on social media and share with your family and friends.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Prep Time: 10 mins | Make time: 20-25 mins | Total time: 30-35 mins
Serves: 16
INGREDIENTS
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 cup old fashion oats (gluten free if necessary)
1-15oz can of black beans, rinsed
3 Tbs cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened)
1 cup date sugar (I used Glory Bee; sub for coconut sugar, if unavailable)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoon honey (or use maple syrup to keep this vegan)
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or coconut oil, if you don’t have avocado oil on hand)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
Directions
Prep
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8x8 baking dish lightly with baking spray, or line with parchment paper and set aside.
Grate the zucchini.
Rinse the black beans very well and shake off the excess water.
Make
Blend the oats in a large food processor until they form a "flour" consistency.
Add the black beans, date sugar and half the grated zucchini to the food processor and blend/pulse until smooth.
Add in the baking powder, honey, vanilla extract and avocado oil and pulse a few times to combine.
Stir in the other half of the grated zucchini and dark chocolate chips, until well combined (don’t pulse as this will make the batter too wet).
Pour the mixture into your baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges crisp. Adjust baking time based on your oven and check on the brownies in 20 minutes to make sure they don’t burn.
Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!
Nutrition Info (per serving)
114 calories (33 from fat), 3.7g total fat, 19g carbohydrate, 4g dietary fiber, 3g protein