Give Me Brownies or Give Me Death.

After polishing off the last of the asparagus and practically licking the pan, my main man said so sweetly, "Now I want dessert." to which I responded ever so kindly, "Word."

There is just something about a Sunday night that makes the sweet tooth go crazy. It's funny because growing up my family had ice cream on Family night once a week, and got to lick the bowl of whatever treat mom made for a church activity, which was about the extent of our dessert endeavors in the Braun home. Don't get me wrong, my family had nothing against dessert, it just wasn't a common thing. (Which poses the question, why was I such a chubster?.... another story for another day.)

My husbands entire family (extended and all) makes chocolate chip cookies every sunday; a timeless and heartwarming Rushton tradition.

As for Ryan and I... Dessert traditions have yet to be established, though he will admit to a bit of confusion when chocolate chip cookies didn't appear the first few Sunday evenings of our marriage.

The point is, there is just something about a sunday evening that merits the desire for a little something something... I mean, I fully believe that in order to fully enjoy the Sabbath day, like, really make it a day of rest and relaxation, there should be molten chocolate something or another wafting through the air. In fact, I'll bet they even had a little sugar covered manna back in the day. Just saying.

 So, to husbands plea I said, "How about some zucchini brownies?" Because if you are gonna make a dessert, you'd might as well go with one of the healthier and equally satisfying recipes on the world wide Pinterest, AMIRIGHT?!

Ryguy didn't agree so much. "GIVE ME REAL DESSERT OR GIVE ME DEATH!" He bellowed pounding his fists on the table. So I shot him with a small Harry Potter killing curse and that was all she wrote.

At least, that's how I saw it. I suppose the conversation is up for interpretation.

Anyhow, after reassuring him that he would want for nothing after trying my zucchini brownies with the added bonus of also being vegan (a huge plus in my book) he agreed and skulked to his man cave. (Ok, so maybe he didn't skulk... but this is my story!)

So away I went, into the oven they baked, and to our bellies they reside. Seriously, for a vegan, veggie brownie, these are worth a try!

Gooey center, flakey crust, oh baby baby. No one would even guess there were healthy alternative ingredients in these, and I am super picky about those health fad recipes. It's gotta be the real deal for me to share.

Behold: the recipe via fitsugar.com (see the step by step pictures here!)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole-wheat flour (I used half wheat and have oat flour)
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small zucchini
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

I added coconut, because I love it. Other add in's can include mallows, nuts, unicorn dreams... waitwhut?

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt).
3. Place the zucchini in a food processor, and puree it as much as you can. Add in the oil and vanilla extract, and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry, and mix until a thick batter forms. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
6. Enjoy as is if you prefer a soft, cake-like consistency, but for a classic chewy brownie-like texture, wrap cut brownies in foil and freeze for at least an hour. Enjoy right out of the freezer.

These would be divine with ice cream, or in my case, a lil whip top (there are rice or coconut whipped creams for vegan options.)

And the best part? You can eat two. or three. Mildly guilt free :) 

Now, go! Eat and be merry!

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