Using Courgettes with Baking as a Flour Replacement - 2 Brownie Recipes

I have recently discovered courgettes (in the US called zuchinnis) as a fantastic ingredient in baking brownies, muffins and cakes. They are so light that they give any sponge cake base a real fluffiness.  They are also fantastically low in fat and calories, making what could be an unhealthy option, healthy!

Courgettes/zuchinnis are not a power house of nutrients as they consist of mainly water. However, they do contain plenty of vitamin C - great to boost your immune system, as well as potassium. Potassium controls blood sugar levels and regulates our blood pressure to a safe level. Try not to peel courgettes as the dark skin is full of soluble fibre - great for your digestive system and those suffering from IBS.

So firstly, to include courgettes in baking, check out this delicious Courgette and Dark Chocolate Brownie Recipe video:-

Ingredients: 
1 grated courgette (zucchini), 100g of 85% dark chocolate (cacao), 1 jar of almond butter (170g), 2 tbsps of honey, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, half a teaspoon of nutmeg or half a teaspoon of allspice.

Method
Whisk all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Pour in the mixture, ensuring the mixture meets the corners of the tray.
Bake for 175 degrees centigrade (350 degrees farenheit) for 55 mins - 1 hour.  Cut into square shaped pieces - I managed 12 brownies:-

Secondly, my sweet potato and courgette brownies recipe is one of my favourites. Sweet potatoes are a fantastic ingredient to add to a cake or brownie recipe because they hold an unusually high content of fibre. Fibre is great as it helps us digest our food properly, lowering the chances of constipation and developing hemorrhoids. Eating fibre regularly signifies a lower chance of getting heart disease and certain types of cancer. 

Sweet potatoes are bursting full of anti-oxidants; 1 cup of sweet potatoes supplies 900-950 milligrams of potassium. Potassium keeps our hearts beating normally and helps our muscles work properly. 1 serving of sweet potatoes provides around 1,900 micrograms of vitamin A; the nutrient that keeps our skin, eyes, teeth and bones healthy. Sweet potatoes are also full of iron and vitamin C; 2 nutrients that we need for a strong immune system.

Check out my sweet potato and courgette brownie recipe here:-

Ingredients:

4 oven baked sweet potatoes (400g) - peeled and mashed, 2 courgettes grated, 1 egg, 50g of dark chocolate, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of honey.

Method
Preheat the oven at 175 degrees centigrade (350 farenheit)
Bake 4 sweet potatoes in the oven (around 700g of sweet potatoes) in the oven.  Leave them to cool, and peel and mash the sweet potatoes.
Grate the two courgetts into the mixture.  Add all of the other ingredients to the mixture.  You can warm the chocolate gently on the hob, or you can just break up the dark chocolate and add it. I add the bicarbonate of soda lastly.
Pour the mixture onto a baking tray with baking paper.
Pop into the oven for one hour.
Leave the mixture to cool and cut into squares:-

And serve with a sprinkling of dessicated coconut!

So, let me know what you think about these two recipes.  Feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel here and also please visit my Instagram page, my facebook page, my pinterest page and my twitter account.  Enjoy the rest of the week!

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