Allergy friendly brownies

I've been trying to find a decent brownie recipe. I've tried tweaking my favorite recipe with no success -- particularly when trying to make them dairy, egg, corn, soy and wheat free! Essentially the only part we can actually have is the baking cocoa. Doesn't make for very exciting dessert!

My sister emailed me this recipe that she found online. It was pretty close to being just right, so I made some little changes and here's the result! Don't tell anyone, but, for brownies, these are very nearly a health food.

The secret ingredient here is a vegetable -- zucchini. I've found part of the secret of using it in cakes and not having the "vegetable" aftertaste is to shred it pretty finely. A hand shredder will work in a pinch, but if you have a food processor with a shred attachment, you'll get the best, most consistent results. These I added a handful of dark chocolate chips to as well -- we're allergic to the soy, but when the rest of the brownie was allergy free, that tiny amount is well-tolerated. Coincedentally, if you're worried that you'll taste the zucchini, these made it through the company picnic and a meeting without anyone guessing they contained vegetables. Well, maybe not "made it through". It was more of a clean dishes came home type of scenario! And they also passed the ultimate vegetable detetectors -- the 5, 6 and 9 year old...

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 c olive oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1 c baking cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 packed c. shredded zucchini

optional:

1c chopped nuts and/or 1 c dark chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting (since we're allergic to the corn in powdered sugar, I simply blend a little white sugar with a tiny drop of tapioca starch until it was powdered and used that for dusting)

Combine oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to oil mixture. Add zucchini and mix. Turn into an oiled 9x13. Bake 25-30 min. at 350 or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool. Best after cooled and set for at least a few hours.

To make these wheat free, I subbed out the flour for 1/2 c almond meal/flour and 1 c of a gluten free flour mix I had on hand. Next time I will also cut the sugar down to 1 c -- something with the more delicate taste of the wheat free flour made these much sweeter with no wheat.

Did you know brownies are best the day after and at room temperature? Apparently that's the actual "how to serve a brownie" directions. The flavors meld when they have a chance to set. These are no exception -- the flavor is deeper and the texture is more of a dense brownie after setting overnight.

Since this is zucchini season, this is the perfect cure for too much squash and too little sugar. Turn it chocolate, I say!