Amazing Zucchini Brownies

Well, it's that time of year again where I start figuring out new and exciting ways to use the abundance of zucchini have.  I love zucchini, so this is always a fun process for me.  I've never made zucchini brownies before, but always thought they seemed like a good idea.  So I gave them a whirl.  It took some experimenting, but I came up with a recipe that is so amazing.  These brownies are so rich and chewy that you'll forget they're packed with zucchini.  My family scarfed these up even though they knew there were veggies in there.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely shredded zucchini (the finer the better)
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
Mix together oil, sugar, vanilla and egg.
In separate bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  A little at a time add the flour mixture to the oil and sugar mixture until incorporated.  (The dough will seem dry, no worries, the zucchini will moisten things up while they bake.)
Using a spoon stir in the zucchini & chocolate chips.
Pour and press evenly into prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes (cook a little longer if you like them more cake like).  Remove from oven and let cool.  Spread chocolate frosting on top if desired.  Enjoy!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread

You simply just have to make this.  It is so good and so easy.  A perfect little treat to have with coffee or to give as a gift.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon espresso shot or extra dark coffee, room temperature
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon espresso grounds (or dark coffee grounds)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Cream butter and confectioners sugar for a few minutes until smooth.  Beat in vanilla, espresso shot, and espresso grounds.  On low speed beat in flour just until it is incorporated.  Using a spoon, fold in the chocolate chips.  Transfer dough to a gallon size Zip-loc bag.  Roll dough out inside of bag until dough is flat (about 1/4 inch) and fills up the entire bag.  Make sure to fix the plastic as you roll so there are no crease marks in your dough.  Zip the bag up and place on cookie sheet.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Remove dough from fridge & using scissors cut off the plastic bag (be careful not to make marks in your dough).  Using a pizza cutter or knife cut dough into 1 1/2 inch squares.  Place squared onto ungreased cooking sheet.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!  (makes about 36 short breads)

Chocolate Marbled Banana Bread

It's no secret that I love banana bread.  But sometimes I end up with so many bananas that need using up that after a week of eating plain banana bread I'm ready for a change.  I'm not one to waste, so throwing away brown bananas because I don't feel like regular banana bread isn't really an option.  I was thrilled when I found this recipe for chocolate marbled banana bread.  

How can you make banana bread better?  Add chocolate of course, this pretty much works for most things in life.  What's great about this recipe is that it really doesn't take that much more time to make that a normal batch of banana bread.  Eat hot out of the oven with a big ol' slab of butter and you will be happy.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (wait till those naners are soft & really brown)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
In medium bowl combine vanilla, eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, melted butter.  Gently fold into flour mixture just until moistened, batter will be lumpy.  Transfer about a third of the batter to a smaller bowl.
Using double boiler method or the microwave melt the chocolate chips.  Add melted chocolate the the third of batter you set aside and mix well.

Place alternating sections of plain batter and chocolate batter into the prepared loaf pan.  

Use a butter knife to  cut through the batter and marble it.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then serve with butter.  Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These cookies are my current obsession.  They have the perfect balance of sweet and salty.  And they're soft and chewy.  And you can't help but make noises when you eat them.  Best of all they are a cinch to whip up.  They stay chewy for a few days, but are definitely best warm out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk.

One reason these cookies are so awesome is the use of a good dark chocolate.  The boldness of the dark chocolate mixes so nicely with sugar & salt in the dough.  I used one of these Ghiradelli "Intense Dark" chocolate bars.  The dark chocolate makes the cookie, so don't skip on this ingredient.
Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar, chopped (or 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using electric mixer cream butter & sugar until fluffy & light in color.  Add egg & vanilla and beat until fluffy.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Using spoon stir in chocolate chunks.  (Make sure when chopping the chocolate not to get the pieces too small, you need those big hunks of chocolate in the cookie... you NEED them!)
On greased cookie sheet drop heaping tablespoonfuls of cookie dough about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are barely golden brown.  Do not cook longer than 10 minutes!  Let cool for a few minutes & enjoy!

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm a big fan of good ol' chocolate chip cookies.  There's nothing better than chocolate chip cookie dough- proven fact.  Follow that up with a warm fresh from the oven gooey chocolate chip cookie & you're pretty much in heaven.  I've made chocolate chip cookies since I can remember.  My Grandma was the one who originally got me hooked on them... & the dough.  After years of experimentation & trying various recipes, I've landed on a recipe that I use now consistently.  I'm a soft in the middle cookie kind of girl when it comes to chocolate chip cookie & this recipe does just that.  Here's the scoop...
Ingredients
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using electric mixer beat well shortening & brown sugar.  Beat in egg & vanilla until fluffy.  Mix in flour, salt & baking soda until well combined.  By hand stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are brown & center is still gooey.  Let cool for a minute & then transfer to cooling rack.  Enjoy!