Tag Archives: veggies for dessert

Zucchini Brownies

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Yep, I did it again. Another successful vegetable hidden in the food. Not just any food but dessert!

I used a recipe from Texanerin. The only changes I made were to keep the skin on the zucchini and to up the cooking time. DSC_0178

My brownies came out cake like, and the ones in her picture looked a lot more gooey. Not sure if my changes were the reason. Either way all the kids gobbled them up!

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Zucchini Brownies
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
 
Brownies made with shredded zucchini and 100% whole grain!
Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup coconut sugar or unrefined or granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup (125 grams) whole spelt or whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup (45 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (about 300 – 320 grams) grated zucchini
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + ½ cup mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper or spray with baking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, and apple sauce.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder (sifted if lumpy!), baking soda and salt.
  4. Add the dry mix to the wet, gently stir until combined. Be sure not to over mix!
  5. Then fold in the zucchini and 1 cup regular size chocolate chips.
  6. Pour the batter into the pan and even the surface with a spatula.
  7. Sprinkle ½ cup mini chocolate chips on top.
  8. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle doesn't come out gooey. It might still be sticky - just not have raw batter on it.
  9. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to one week in the refrigerator. I recommend storing them in the refrigerator right from the beginning due to their high moisture content.

 

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Healthier Carrot Cake Bars

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As usual, I’m trying to push my kids to eat more vegetables any way I can!

While trying to find new creative ways to use up my Fresh Picks order, I saw this recipe online. The cook who wrote it called it a healthed up carrot cake bar, but I morphed it into something even healthier!

Then I slathered it with frosting because I figured it was worth feeding all that sugar to my kids to get them to eat all the other stuff in the bar. It backfired a bit when Sam decided to just lick the frosting and throw the bar on the ground, but at least Jack and Ben ate it all!

DSC_0161

Five whole carrots! No white carbs! Greek Yogurt! Walnuts! Cinnamon! Coconut Oil! So many things that are good for you hidden under frosting, cleverly disguised as dessert.

They turned out absolutely delicious and I think I’ll eventually use the recipe to make muffins in the morning. Honestly they are so good you don’t even need the frosting!

Veggies for dessert? I think I’m onto something here…

Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats

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Carrot Cake Bars
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
 
A Healthier Version of Carrot Cake
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole spelt flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cup (6oz) Pineapple Chobani Greek Yogurt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, warmed
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 cups peeled and shredded carrots (about 5 medium carrots)
  • ½ cup shredded coconut
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • For the cream cheese frosting:
  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 8oz ⅓-less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 9×13″ pan with nonstick spray.
  3. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  4. In an electric mixer, mix sugar, Greek yogurt, and coconut oil until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch.
  6. Fold in shredded carrots, coconut and walnuts.
  7. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan then bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick or fork inserted into the center comes out clean.
  8. Cool completely then frost with cream cheese frosting. Store leftover bars in the fridge.
  9. For the cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar.
  10. Spread over cooled carrot cake bars then slice and serve.

 

 

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