insanely fudgy and chocolatey and packed with zucchini! This is one of my FAVORITE chocolate brownie recipes!
I have this obsession with combining zucchini and chocolate in desserts. It just “makes sense” to me even though the first time I told Mr. Fantabulous years ago that I was making chocolate zucchini cake the look on his face was priceless. He done thought I went mad.
When we first started dating zucchini was one of those foods that if I gave it to him his face would squinch up like someone stuck a skunk in his face. Now through the years, he’s actually grown an appreciation for it. He’ll tolerate fried or baked zucchini strips. Ever since I shared with you my Zucchini Chocolate Muffins and that amazing Chocolate Zucchini Brownie with Old Fashioned Chocolate Frosting you guys have asked for a gluten-free version that still tasted as awesome.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
This brownie is super moist, borderline fudgy, and just so packed with flavor that you have no clue it’s gluten-free! I actually made 2 pans of brownies that day. This one and the ‘normal’ ones for Mr.Fantabulous.
Fudgy and Insanely delicious
It has an incredibly moist inside that had that fudgyness that brownies have but had the tenderness of a cake. The brownie formed almost a ‘crust’ on top (thus is why I thought it was a cake-type brownie) but it was anything but. It was unlike any other brownie I had ever had.
The Best Chocolate Frosting
This frosting is super chocolatey but not overly sweet. It’s creamy and paired perfectly with the intense chocolate flavor of the brownie. Plus it makes the picture ‘pop’.
I cut a big ol’ piece for the picture and after a few shots like the one above I felt it was too plain. So as you can see I opted to add some milk and a fork. And my being a gracious recipe creator I had to use the fork… repeatedly which meant taking bite after bite. I mean all for the sake of photography I swear!
As you can see I quite enjoyed this photo shoot as I got to eat WHILE I was shooting. That is a rarity in this business. We often take shots of fresh from the oven/hot foods as that’s when they look their best.
Once the shoot is done then we end up eating warm temp foods. There have been times though that the smells are so amazing that you eat and then make another plate up for the shoot. This one was just a true winner. I mean it’s a brownie for god’s sake! Life doesn’t get much better!
Taste Testers Approved
To help decide whether or not to share this recipe, I go to my taste testers who are just as brutally honest as he is. I gave it to 10 different folks and they all loved it. Now I didn’t tell them that it was gluten-free – just that it was zucchini and chocolate.
Once I got the feedback I asked if they tasted anything ‘special’ about it or ‘off’ – gluten-free baked goods can sometimes have an ‘off’ taste. They all said no and then I conveyed that it was gluten-free. All were pretty much surprised but said that it was awesome and they wanted more.
These Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Brownies seriously are so good! For those of you that have kids that refuse to eat zucchini (or big kids like my husband) this is a great way to sneak veggies into dessert for sure!
Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Brownies
Insanely fudgy and chocolatey and packed with zucchini! This is one of my FAVORITE chocolate brownie recipes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: baking, cake, brownies, snacks
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: baking, cake, brownies, snacks, gluten free
Ingredients
Brownie
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup natural apple sauce
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoon chocolate extract
- 2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/4 cup warmed hot fudge
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
Milk Chocolate Frosting
- 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk chocolate chips
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
Instructions
Brownie
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment leaving a 1” overhang.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oil, egg, water, apple sauce, sugar, hot fudge, and chocolate extract until well blended.
- Combine the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Sir the flour mixture into the oil mixture. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chunks. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until brownies spring back when gently touched or a cake tester comes out mostly clean. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Frosting
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan containing 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium; add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula until sugar is dissolved, 4-5 minutes. Add melted chocolate, butter mixture, and cream to a clean bowl of stand mixer and stir to thoroughly combine. Place the mixer bowl over an ice bath and stir the mixture constantly with a rubber spatula until the frosting is thick and just beginning to harden against the sides of the bowl, 1-2 minutes (frosting should be 70 degrees).
- Place bowl on stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until completely smooth. *If you find after beating, your frosting is still too soft for your liking, try chilling it in the fridge until it sets up a little more
Assemble
- Once the brownie is cooled, spread a thick layer of frosting on top.
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