Dark Chocolate Courgette Brownies
Dark, fudgy brownies made with finely grated courgette for moisture, dark chocolate chips and a very light dusting of icing sugar. Batch yield: 16 brownies from one 20 × 20 cm tin. One serving: 1 brownie, approximately 46 g after baking and cooling. Allow about 2 hours 55 minutes from starting to serving: 20 minutes of preparation, approximately 30 minutes for one oven batch, 120 minutes of complete cooling, and 5 minutes to dust and cut. Prep_minutes includes all 25 hands-on minutes plus the 120-minute cooling period. Preheating and the brief standing time for the melted oil overlap with initial preparation and are not counted again. No chilling or frosting is required; oven time may vary slightly with doneness. Appliances: Oven; Microwave. Equipment: 20 × 20 cm square baking tin, at least 5 cm deep; Baking paper; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring spoons; Microwave-safe bowl; Fine grater; Two mixing bowls; Fine-mesh sieve; Hand whisk; Spatula; Skewer; Wire cooling rack; Knife; Cutting board. Allergens: Contains wheat and eggs. Dark chocolate chips may contain soy lecithin and may contain milk; check the chosen product's ingredients and allergen label. Nutrition is estimated per brownie using one-sixteenth of the ingredients; calories are calculated from the estimated macros using 4 kcal/g for protein and carbohydrate and 9 kcal/g for fat. Storage: Cool completely before sealing in an airtight container. Keep at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze individually wrapped brownies in a sealed freezer container for up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped in the fridge overnight and eat within 24 hours. The icing sugar may dissolve into the surface during storage.
145 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
16
Serves
128
Calories
Macros · per serving
3g protein
16g carbs
6g fat
Ingredients
For 16 servings
- 55 g Coconut oil
- 150 g Granulated sugar
- 5 ml Vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs Eggs
- 200 g Courgette, ends trimmed
- 0.5 g Ground cinnamon
- 55 g Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 65 g Plain flour
- 2 g Baking powder
- 2 g Fine salt
- 35 g Dark chocolate chips
- 5 g Icing sugar
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F conventional or 160°C/320°F fan. Line the base and sides of a 20 × 20 cm square tin, at least 5 cm deep, with baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for lifting.
- 2
Put the coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until just liquid rather than hot. Leave it to stand while you prepare the courgette.
- 3
Finely grate the 200 g trimmed courgette. Keep its juices and do not squeeze it dry; the moisture is part of the recipe.
- 4
Sift the cocoa powder, plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir to distribute everything evenly.
- 5
In a second mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla by hand for about 1 minute, just until combined and slightly thickened, without whipping in lots of air. Whisk in the liquid coconut oil, then stir in the grated courgette and its juices.
- 6
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula until no dry pockets remain. Fold in the dark chocolate chips. The batter should be thick, glossy and spoonable. Do not taste the raw batter because it contains uncooked eggs and flour.
- 7
Scrape all the batter into the prepared tin and spread it level, including the corners. Bake on the middle shelf for about 30 minutes, checking from 28 minutes. The edges should be set and the centre should no longer ripple when the tin is gently moved. A skewer inserted away from a chocolate chip should emerge with moist crumbs, not liquid batter. If necessary, bake for another 2–3 minutes and check again.
- 8
Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully lift out using the paper overhang, support the base, and leave on the rack for another 90 minutes, until completely cool. Do not cut while warm: the fudgy centre firms as it cools.
- 9
Using a fine sieve, dust the cooled slab very lightly with all 5 g icing sugar. Cut into a 4 × 4 grid to make 16 brownies.
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