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Do you ever get this overwhelming urge to throw on an apron, bring out the flour, cups, bowls and mixers and make something delicious?
Maybe you even get giddy at the idea of finding that “perfect” recipe to make for your family. You know, the one that will put a smile on your hubby’s face after a long day of work, or make your favorite little one jump up and down for joy.
But then you remember…you can’t cook. Or bake for that matter. And well, then the anxiety kicks in. In fact, if you’re like me, you are a major mess in the kitchen.
I grew up thinking toast was supposed to be black. That it’s normal to start fires in the kitchen. And when your mom says “put the chicken in the oven at 350,” you put the chicken in the oven at exactly 3:50 pm. *what can I say, I’m a true blond!*
So after some seriously epic cooking failures lately, like brick brownies, soupy cookies and hairy bread (for real!) you can imagine my delight and surprise when I created this marvelous little thing called “Peanut Butter & Zucchini Brownies.”
I know, it sounds gross. I mean, who in the world puts zucchini in a brownie. On purpose. But it works. I modified the original recipe because I wanted to save money and make it healthier. (Also, she updated her original recipe to include a DIY almond butter recipe, but almonds are still more expensive than peanuts, and in my family’s opinion, don’t remotely taste as good!)
The original recipe calls for almond butter, which is really expensive. And since almonds are also expensive to grind up and I don’t have a money tree in my backyard, that wasn’t an option. Plus, organic peanut butter is actually healthier and sweeter than almond butter!
I knew they were a hit when I took them to the radio station and coworkers went gaga over them! They went so fast I didn’t even get a picture!
Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies
- 1 cup crunchy organic peanut butter (No sugar added, just pure peanut butter. Don’t use creamy, it will make them runny.)
- 1.5 cups zucchini. Which equals one small zucchini thinly sliced and diced. Use a potato peeler to take off the skin, then set your mandolin slicer at its thinnest setting. Once shred, dice the zucchini “pillow” pile (below) into tiny pieces.
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of nutmeg
- 1.5 cups chocolate chips
Directions -Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix together with beaters. Pour into 8×8 baking pan (greased). Bake for about 45 minutes.
IMPORTANT: The brownies are a bit squishy when they first come out of the oven, so let them sit overnight to “cool” and dry out a bit before you eat them. They are amazing brownies; you can’t even tell they have zucchini in them! Plus, they’re gluten-free, which is perfect for our family! Makes an 8×8 pan of chocolate peanut butter goodness. ツ
Take gentle care of yourself today. ツ