Very Chocolatey Zucchini Cookies

Because these cookies contain zucchini, we can pretend they are healthy. Because they contain three kinds of chocolate, we can call them delicious.

This summer I had a bumper crop of zucchini, so a gardener friend suggested I grate and freeze some of it. I grated and froze it in two cup portions, because my awesome zucchini loaf calls for that amount of zucchini. The other day I was looking for something to bring to work for my somewhat stressed-out colleagues (let’s just say the beginning of the school year isn’t just hard on the students) and I found this recipe. People liked the idea that they could trick themselves into thinking it was a somewhat healthy recipe, but mostly they loved the intense chocolaty-ness of the cookies. I use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips because I think their quality it quite good!

The one change I will make next time I make these is in the fineness of the grated zucchini. I used the thicker side of my box grater, but I found that there were pieces of zucchini that stuck out of a few of the cookies, so next time I will use the finer grater.

The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was to bake for a minute or two less, and I put a little sea salt on top of each cookie before baking for an awesome chocolate and salt combination!

What you need:

• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded and drained zucchini
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet, semi- or bitter-sweet chocolate chips
• optional:sea salt

What you do:

1. Grate the zucchini and let it drain in a sieve. Press the zucchini down to extract some of the liquid.
2. Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl whip the butter, granulated and brown sugars for 1-2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for about a minute. Stir in the grated zucchini.
4. Pour in the melted chocolate and mix.
5. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until almost combined. Stir in the chocolate chips until everything is just incorporated.
6. Scoop the cookie dough using a tablespoon or small ice-cream scoop, and place  them a few centimetres apart on the cookie sheets. Add a little sea salt to the top of each cookie before baking – optional but awesome!
7. Bake for 9-10 minutes until just set.