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Courgette Brownies

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These Courgette Brownies are super moist, delicious and decadent – no one will ever guess there’s zucchini in these brownies!

Courgette glut ? My brownie recipe is the perfect solution. Courgette keeps the brownies deliciously moist, ensuring a fudgy brownie and winning hands down for the best ever brownies.

Courgette Brownies are deliciously decadent with rich chocolate enhanced by the addition of espresso powder. Just the right amount of gooeyness with a paper thin, crackly top.

Three pieces of courgette brownie in a stack.

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I love courgette season but OH doesn’t look forward to the masses of his least favourite vegetable turning up everywhere.

So, after plenty of ratatouille, roasted courgette quiche, courgette soup, Smoked Salmon with Courgette Savoury Cake, lasagne and Courgette and Ginger Jam, Courgette Chutney, OH was pleased to try courgette in a brownie. Even if the courgettes are growing so fast there are plenty for the compost heap, I hate to waste food so these Courgette Brownies turn a glut into a great asset.

I use the whisking method in my courgette brownies and without a doubt it’s the best way to make brownies. They don’t shrink like they do when you just beat the eggs and sugar into the melted butter and chocolate. Nor are your brownies as dense as you’ve whisked in all that air to give a gorgeous creamy texture.

These Courgette Brownies are super moist, delicious & decadent - no one will ever guess there's zucchini in these brownies!

What equipment do I need ?

  • A stand mixer or electric hand mixer – I wouldn’t recommend whisking by hand. It takes too long and I’ve never achieved the same results. I use my KitchenAid because it makes light work of whisking.
  • A non-stick brownie / traybake tin 27cm x 20 cm x 3.5 cm (11″ x 8″ x 1½”)
  • Enough baking parchment to line the tin and include a 5 cm overhang for easy removal of brownies.

What ingredients do I need ?

  • You will need the usual basic ingredients for a brownie: butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, plain flour, cocoa powder and baking powder (see recipe card).
  • Courgettes or marrow. If using marrow, I recommend peeling them first because marrow skins are a bit tougher than courgette skins.
  • Use good quality dark chocolate chips. Avoid milk chocolate because after you’ve added all the other ingredients, milk chocolate would be lost in the finished brownie. I like to use Callebaut Belgian chocolate in my baking and chocolate work. Callebaut is sustainably sourced and the company collaborate directly with their cocoa bean growers.
  • Optional: Espresso coffee powder. I use espresso powder in all my chocolate cakes and chocolate brownies. The coffee acts to intensify the chocolate flavour and there is no taste of coffee in the brownie.
  • Optional: Chopped nuts to add some crunch and a contrast in texture to your brownie. I used hazelnuts.

How to make the best Courgette / Zucchini Brownies

Grated and chopped courgettes on a chopping board with a knife.
  • Firstly, prepare your courgettes by coarsely grating and then chopping into finer pieces. Although you want the moisture that comes from the courgettes I like to drain them in salt first. This stops the brownie mixture from being too wet.
  • Melt the chocolate and butter together and add the vanilla extract. It’s much easier to melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave but don’t burn your chocolate though. I find 2 minutes on high in 30 second bursts is just enough to melt. Mix until nice and smooth and leave to cool.
Chocolate and butter in a jug. Followed by an image of egg and sugar whipped to a mousse.
  • Whisk the eggs and sugar together until doubled in volume. I use a stand mixer but an electric hand mixer will do the job too. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes depending on your mixer.
  • To check you have enough volume with your eggs and sugar, lift your whisk and if there is a trail on the surface of the mixture for a second or two, it’s done.
Brownie batter mix in a mixing bowl.
Flour and cocoa powder being folded into chocolate mixture. Followed by an image of the brownie mixture being poured into the tin.
  • Now it’s time to carefully fold in the cooled melted chocolate and butter by hand. Folding in is essential as beating in at this stage will make the mixture runny. Not only will a runny brownie mixture take longer to cook but you’ll end up with a denser brownie.
  • Fold in the courgettes (and nuts if using) in a figure of 8 movement. Take your time, you don’t want to knock the air out.
  • Hold a sieve over the bowl of your chocolate mixture and sieve the dry ingredients. Carefully fold in using a figure of eight movement.
  • Pour your mix into a prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and if you can, leave in the tin until completely cold. Leaving your brownies to cool for at least an hour makes them gooier and easier to cut.
Brownie removed from the tin and cut into pieces.

How to tell when your brownies are done

Check to see if there is a paper like crust on top – there shouldn’t be any movement in the centre of the tin. If you insert a toothpick into your brownie there will be a few moist crumbs sticking to the tooth pick as you pull it out.

If there is still wet batter on the tooth pick pop your brownies back in the oven for another five minutes.

An even easier way to check your brownies are ready is to use a digital thermometer – ideally you’re looking for 90°C. I use a Thermapen because it give an accurate reading very quickly.

Baked Brownie in a tin cooling.

How long do they keep ?

Layer Courgette Brownies between baking parchment inside an airtight container. You can keep your brownies this way for up to five days.

Can I freeze them ?

Yes, you can! Cut into portions and open freeze for a couple of hours before putting into a food safe freezer bag.

They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

Close up of brownies cut into squares.

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Three pieces of courgette brownie in a stack.

Courgette Brownies

These Courgette Brownies are super moist, delicious & decadent – no one will ever guess there’s zucchini in these brownies!
4.97 from 90 votes
Print Pin Rate this Recipe Save Recipe
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Sweet Treat
Cuisine: British
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 282kcal
Author: Sarah James
servings

Equipment

  • 1 non stick baking tin 27cm x 20 cm x 3.5 cm (11" x 8" x 1½") lined with baking parchment (with a 5 cm overhang of parchment for easy removal of brownies)

Ingredients

  • 300 g courgettes / zucchini
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 200 g dark chocolate chips
  • 150 g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 140 g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder Optional
  • 100 g chopped nuts I used hazelnuts ( Optional )

Instructions

  • Preheat oven: 180°C / 160°C fan / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4
  • Coarsely grate or shred your courgettes / zucchini before chopping the courgette into smaller pieces.
  • Place in a colander inside a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Leave to drain while you get on with the Brownies.
  • Place the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes in 30 second bursts until melted. Add the vanilla extract and stir until chocolate is nice and smooth and leave to cool.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together using an electric mixer until doubled in volume (about 5 to 8 minutes depending on your mixer)
  • Pour the cooled chocolate mix into your egg mix carefully and gently fold together with a silicone spatula.
  • Fold in the courgettes (and nuts if using) in a figure of 8 movement. Take your time, you don’t want to knock the air out.
  • Hold a sieve over the bowl of your chocolate mixture and sieve over the dry ingredients. Carefully fold in using a figure of eight movement.
  • Pour mixture into the prepared tin, gently easing the mixture into the corners of the tin and levelling with a spatula. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
  • Check to see if there is a paper like crust on top – there should still be some movement in the centre of the tin.
  • Insert a toothpick into the brownie there will still be a smear of brownie mix on the tooth pick with a few moist crumbs sticking to the tooth pick as you pull it out. If there is still wet batter on the tooth pick pop your brownies back in the oven for another five minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and leave in the tin until completely cold – if you can !
  • Using the extra parchment paper edges, remove from the tin and cut the into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Video

Notes

To check you have achieved enough volume with your eggs and sugar. Remove your whisk, if there is a trail on the surface of the mixture for a second or two, it’s done.
Layer Courgette Brownies between baking parchment inside an airtight container. You can keep your brownies this way for up to five days.
Courgette Brownies will keep in the freezer for up to three months. Cut into portions and open freeze for a couple of hours before putting into a food safe freezer bag. 
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 322IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

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These Courgette Brownies are super moist, delicious & decadent - no one will ever guess there's zucchini in these brownies!

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4.97 from 90 votes (61 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Mark

Monday 31st of October 2022

Great recipe, wish I'd discovered sooner. I used a 24 x 24cm which resulted in a slightly cake like texture, will opt for a smaller tin for a thicker (hopefully stodgy) brownie next time. Also, might squeeze / wring out the courgette in a towel (familiar with this method for cucumber in tzatziki) instead of adding salt. Anyway, thanks for the recipe, definitely a keeper. PS you should have seen the kids faces when I told them the ingredients (half way through eating it).

Steve

Friday 1st of July 2022

Deliciousous! My wife and kids absolutely loved these! I added some chocolate chips just before a put them in the oven and the turned out amazing. Great recipe!

Sarah James

Friday 1st of July 2022

Thanks Steve, so pleased you and your family love my courgette brownies. I bet they were extra delicious with added chocolate chips, thanks for getting in touch, Sarah.

Claire baker

Friday 13th of August 2021

Mine came out a bit cake like unfortunately. I've got another batch in with nuts and some more chocolate chips so fingers crossed. Turned my oven up and giving it less time to get that crispy top! Also I'm from Pembrokeshire. 😁

Sarah James

Sunday 15th of August 2021

Hi Claire, nice to have a visitor from Pembrokeshire to my blog. Hope your second batch of brownies are more moist. Ovens do vary in temperature, so turning your oven up might be a good option to get a crackly top but may affect the moistness so cooking for less time is a good idea. A cake like brownie could be due to several things including the moisture content of the courgettes (I've seen some rock hard courgettes with a relatively low moisture content) or, as mentioned, individual ovens. I've experimented with the amount of chocolate in the recipe and found that 200g of chocolate is enough to give a moist brownie, although results may vary with the quality of the dark chocolate used. Do let me know how you get on.

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