Zucchini Brownies

A great way to sneak some vegetables into your kid's (or husband's) meals without them suspecting foul play ;)
I got this recipe from My Gluten-Free Kitchen.

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

2 cups good all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used this gluten free mix)
¾ tsp. xanthan gum (omit if using a flour blend that has xanthan gum)
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup melted unsalted butter or margarine, or canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Additional ⅓ cup to ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping


Method

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 7"x11" cake dish, I use a piece of baking paper at the bottom as well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat sugar, applesauce, butter/margarine/oil, and vanilla extract for 30 seconds.
Add flour mixture and continue beating for about 1 minute, until mixture resembles wet sand.
Add the shredded zucchini, then the cocoa powder, and mix on low until combined.
Stir in the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Pour brownie batter into pan and smooth down.
Sprinkle extra ⅓-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of brownie batter.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until brownies are set. This will have a soft center, if you want a harder brownie, leave in for an extra 5-10mins.
Allow to cool slightly and slice with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Cool on wire rack.
I had them warm with vegan vanilla ice-cream - YUM!