Fudgy, moist and rich, these indulgent and intensely chocolatey courgette brownies are just perfect with a cup of tea or a glass of cold milk.
The question is...will the kids guess there is 'green stuff' in them? Mine are still none the wiser!
I find it's best not to tell my children there are vegetables lurking in their favourite sweet bakes until AFTER they've tried them. Nine times out of ten they never guess anyway, and you certainly won't with these beauties!
Decadent and sweet, these courgette (zucchini) brownies go down a storm in our family and are the perfect vehicle for using up a glut of courgettes from the allotment (you might want to check out my chocolate courgette muffins too!).
The brownies are so easy to make and take only 30 minutes in the oven. The most difficult part of the recipe is waiting for them to cool!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Decadent and chocolatey
- Fudgy and moist
- Easy to make
- Can be frozen
- Great for using up a glut of courgettes
- Best courgette brownie recipe you will ever try!
🥘 Ingredients
- Courgette (zucchini) - 1 medium courgette, grated coarsely. Put the grated courgette in a sieve over the sink for 10 minutes and let the excess water drip out.
- Butter - a good quality unsalted butter.
- Dark Chocolate - use a chocolate with 70% cocoa solids for an intense chocolate flavour.
- Eggs - free-range large eggs. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
- Sugar - I use a combination of caster sugar and light brown sugar which gives the brownies the best fudgy texture.
- Vanilla Extract - use a good quality extract and NOT essence.
- Flour - white plain flour is best for these brownies.
- Baking Powder - I don't often use a raising agent in brownies, but the courgette makes these very dense so I add 1 tsp to lighten the batter.
- Cocoa Powder - use a good quality cocoa powder and make sure you don't use drinking chocolate.
- Chocolate Chips - for an extra chocolate hit. You could swap these for dried fruit or nuts if you prefer.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave. I microwave for 20 seconds at a time and then stir the mixture. This makes sure the chocolate doesn't burn or seize. Leave to cool slightly.
Two: In another bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together for 2-3 minutes (using an electric whisk). You want the mixture to be pale and fluffy.
Three: Mix the cooled melted chocolate mixture into the whisked eggs and sugar.
Four: Stir in the grated courgette and vanilla extract.
Five: Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and chocolate chips.
Six: Spoon the mixture into a 20 x 30 cm baking tin and bake for 30 minutes.
💭 Top tips
- Don't use courgettes that are too large (or have already turned into marrows). One medium courgette should yield roughly the correct amount of grated courgette needed for the recipe (300g).
- Don't squeeze out all of the water from the grated courgette. Instead, place the grated courgette in a sieve or colander over the sink and let any excess water drip out. After 10 minutes or so, pat dry with a paper towel. You want some moisture left in the courgettes to keep the brownies moist and fudgy.
- If like me you're impatient, pop the brownie tin in the freezer for 20 minutes after baking to speed up the cooling process. It also makes cutting the brownies into squares easier too.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the brownies just as they are with a cup of tea or a glass of milk. If you're feeling really decadent, why not spoon a dollop of clotted cream on top?
They also make a delicious and easy pudding with honeycomb ice cream or chocolate custard.
📖 Variations
- Replace the chocolate chips with pecan nuts to add crunch and texture to the brownies.
- Use a mixture of milk and dark chocolate for a mellower, less intense flavoured brownie.
- Replace the vanilla extract with orange zest for a chocolate orange flavoured brownie.
🥡 Storage
The brownies will keep in an airtight tin for up to 5 days.
The courgette brownies freeze really well too, so why not make a double batch and freeze half for another day? Once the brownies have cooled, cut them into squares and layer them between sheets of nonstick baking paper in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost for a couple of hours before serving.
❓ FAQS
You should always let your brownies cool completely before attempting to cut them into squares (I speed up the process by placing the tin in the freezer for 20 minutes). Once cold, use a long sharp knife and wipe the knife with kitchen roll between each cut.
Keeping brownies in the refrigerator will dry them out. Store brownies in an air-tight container at room temperature. Don't forget brownies freeze really well too!
Yes, they are the same vegetable! Courgette is the more common term among the French and British, whilst the word zucchini is used in the United States and Australia.
😋Related recipes
More brownie and blondie recipes to try!
- Mini Egg Brownies
- Nutella Blondies
- Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
- Biscoff Blondies
- Raspberry Brownies
- Easy Nutella Brownies
🍽️ More family-friendly recipes
Sweet treats from the Effortless Foodie kitchen!
Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Recipe
Courgette Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g Grated Courgette roughly 1 medium courgette.
- 200 g Dark Chocolate 70% cocoa solids
- 150 g Unsalted Butter
- 3 Eggs large
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- 100 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 140 g Plain Flour
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 100 g Milk Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°c (160 fan/ Gas 4/ 350F) and line a 30 x 20 cm brownie tin with baking paper.
- Place the grated courgettes in a sieve above the sink to let any excess water drip out.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave. I microwave for 20 seconds at a time and then stir the mixture. This ensures the chocolate doesn't burn or seize. Leave to cool.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together for 2-3 minutes (using an electric whisk). You want the mixture to be pale and fluffy.
- Mix the cooled melted chocolate mixture into the whisked eggs and sugar.
- Stir in the grated courgette and vanilla extract.
- Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and chocolate chips. make sure everything is well mixed.
- Spoon the mixture into the baking tin and bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
- Don't use courgettes that are too large (or have already turned into marrows). One medium courgette should yield roughly the correct amount of grated courgette needed for the recipe (300g).
- Don't squeeze out all of the water from the grated courgette. Instead, place the grated courgette in a sieve or colander over the sink and let any excess water drip out. After 10 minutes or so, pat dry with a paper towel. You want some moisture left in the courgettes to keep the brownies moist and fudgy.
- If like me you're impatient, pop the brownie tin in the freezer for 20 minutes after baking, to speed up the cooling process. It also makes cutting the brownies into squares easier too.
- Replace the chocolate chips with pecan nuts to add crunch and texture to the brownies.
- Use a mixture of milk and dark chocolate for a mellower, less intense flavoured brownie.
- Replace the vanilla extract with orange zest for a chocolate orange flavoured brownie.
Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen!
Bintu | Budget Delicious
These sound so delicious and fudgy and I love that the kids will never guess there's greens in them!
Kim at Three Olives Branch
Yum! These brownies were SO good and you could not even tell they had zucchini in them!
Toni
It is so fudgy!! Totally irresistible! My kids couldn't get enough of it!
Wanda
Never met a brownie we didn't like and excited to find this recipe, a new one to try out as soon as possible!
Michelle
So rich and delicious! My boys couldn't tell there was zucchini in it! 😀