Too many courgettes? Then this is the delightfully decadent recipe you’re after. When the courgette season kicks in, it’s difficult to keep up with the different ways to weave them into your main dishes. But what better way to bring additional gooiness to your brownies in the form of a green vegetable?! Whether you’re looking to sneak more vegetables into the children, or simply want a rich indulgent adult treat, this chocolate courgette brownies recipe ensures your courgette surplus doesn’t go to waste.
Brownies – what’s your favourite?
Brownies come in all shapes and sizes. Crinkle top, blonde, salted, caramel… there is a brownie for everyone. But if you’re searching for a super moist, healthier than most, dense and chocolatey brownie, then chocolate courgette brownies will hit the mark.
Other courgette recipes
Below you will find other ways to use up courgettes from your garden or local market:
Growing courgettes
Courgettes are remarkably easy to grow in the UK and are perfect for beginner gardeners. They thrive in the British climate when planted after the last frost (typically late May or early June) and can produce abundant harvests from just two plants throughout the summer months, making them one of the most easiest and rewarding vegetables to plant at home.
Courgettes like a rich, well composted soil, and above all else constant watering – especially in hot weather – as plants can produce 1-2 courgettes per day which requires a lot of water. Ensure you regularly harvest the courgettes to encourage further production.
Varieties of courgette to grow
For maximum yields, several varieties stand out as particularly productive in UK conditions. ‘Defender’ is disease-resistant and produces plenty of straight, dark green courgettes. ‘Black Beauty’ is famous for its reliable production and high-yield potential with soft, tasty, glossy, dark green fruits. If you’re looking for something different then ‘Eight Ball’ produces round courgettes, whilst a good yellow variety is ‘Golden Delight’. A new variety I have tried this year was ‘Sure Thing’ and it’s certainly lived up to it’s reputation – producing at least a fruit a day!
The brownies will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Chocolate Courgette Brownies
Equipment
- 30x20cm/12×8" deep sided cake tin or 23cm/9" square tin
- free standing mixer or handheld
Ingredients
- 120 g plain flour
- 50 g cocoa
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- 300 g caster sugar
- 300 g courgette 2 medium
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 100 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C and butter and line a 30x20cm/12×8" deep sided cake tin with baking paper.
- Sift the flour and the cocoa in a bowl.
- Place the dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water – ensuring the bowl does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter have totally melted. Put the bowl aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs and sugar together in a free standing mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a handheld whisk, until the mixture has doubled in size. A good way to know when the mixture is ready, is when you lift the whisk and trail it around the bowl, you should be able to see the trail for 1-2 seconds.
- Fold in the melted butter and chocolate mixture. Once this is well mixed, gently fold in the flour and cocoa and stir well to combine. Finally add in the grated courgette, chocolate chips and salt. You must fold the mixture gently to ensure you don’t lose the air that you have so carefully beaten in.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and gently flatten the surface with a palette knife.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. The top should have a shiny crust, but you want the brownie middle to be slightly gooey.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin on a rack for about an hour.
- Use the lining paper to lift from the tin and cut into 16 pieces.
Notes
- I have spiralized my courgette – I need to find use for the gadget and it looked great in the photos! – but of course you can simply grate the courgette. It won’t change the flavour at all.
- If you don’t have chocolate chips, which I often don’t, I simply chop a chocolate bar into small chunks.
- These brownies will keep for 4-5 days in a sealed container.
Second time making this here at home! Big hit! Light and super chocolatey! Great way to get some hidden greens into a chocolate treat!