These fudgy chocolate bars are made with wholesome ingredients, like oats and zucchini. They’re also vegan friendly and free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar.
The middle of the week needs chocolate, and preferably something delicious and healthy-ish, so you can eat more and not feel bad about it. 😉 These double chocolate zucchini bars will definitely fit the bill. They’re made with only oat flour and rolled oats, so it’s technically like eating a bowl of oatmeal, although they’re fudgy, like a brownie! 😋 They also have a whole zucchini blended in, that you can’t even taste, btw. Ask my kids who have eaten half the pan and are none the wiser that they’re eating veggies with every bite!
In other news, I had my first physical therapy session this week. I felt fine afterwards, but then woke up in pain the next day. I googled it, because the internet has all the answers 😜, and different sites said it was normal to be in more pain after exercising areas of your body that are injured and not as strong.
Since my condition is progressive, I have to be careful not to cause anymore harm to my neck, especially if I want to avoid surgery. Sometimes I feel like I should walk around in bubble wrap, lol! 😜
Anyway, I’m hoping things improve soon. I had been feeling much better and this regression is a little discouraging. At least I can find comfort in these chocolate bars, amiright?! 🙃
You need these double chocolate zucchini bars in your life! They make the perfect afternoon snack, dessert, or I dare say, breakfast! I mean, it is like a giant bowl of oatmeal after all! 😜
I hope you give these a try, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you do! Enjoy!
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Double Chocolate Zucchini Bars
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 9–16 bars 1x
Description
These fudgy chocolate bars are made with wholesome ingredients, like oats and zucchini. They’re also vegan friendly and free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups oat flour* use gluten free
if needed
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup rolled oats use gluten free oats
if needed
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 packed cup finely shredded zucchini, not drained
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
, butter, or other oil of choice
- flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, plus more for top of batter (use dairy-free chocolate chips if necessary)
if needed
if needed
, butter, or other oil of choiceInstructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together dry ingredients—oat flour, coconut sugar, rolled oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add shredded zucchini, milk, coconut oil, flax egg, and vanilla extract, stirring until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips and then spread batter into prepared pan. Top with additional chocolate chips and bake for 25–30 minutes, or just until center is set. Let cool before cutting into bars. Makes 9–16 bars, depending on how large you cut them. Store in an airtight container in a cool room for 2–3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
*Can make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or coffee grinder. Just be sure to measure the flour after grinding.
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dessert
These came out sooooo good! They were chocolatey, fudgey, so yummm! And knowing all the healthy things that went into making these made me so happy eating them! I and my family loved them! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
Hi Kruti! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! I’m happy to hear you and your family enjoyed these. It really is nice to make sweet treats on occasion that are wholesome too. I hope you’re able to find other recipes to try as well! 🙂
They taste so yummy but the bar doesn’t hold, it’s more like a crumble. I followed your whole recipe except for the egg which I used an actual egg instead of flax egg. Any suggestions?
Hi DD, I don’t recommend using a real egg. What makes these bars fudgy is taking them out as soon as the center is set and with a flax egg you don’t have to worry about eating raw egg. If you use a real egg you have to make sure it cooks thoroughly and it ends up baking too long, which can make it dry and crumbly. They do also need to cool fully before cutting and handling. I’m not sure if you made your own oat flour, but it needs to be finely ground. I’ve noticed with a more coarse grind, baked treats are more crumbly. I’ll update the recipe to clarify these points. Thanks for giving them a try! 🙂
Has anyone tried using an egg instead of flax egg? I have everything on hand except flaxseed.
Hi Jess, I don’t recommend using a real egg. These bars taste best fudgy which means taking them out of the oven as soon as the center is set. With a real egg you have to let them cook thoroughly which can make them dry and crumbly. Maybe try with a chia egg? Same as a flax egg, only using chia seeds. Let it gel together before adding it to the mixture. If you don’t have chia seeds, you can just use additional milk in the place of the “egg”, but the bars may be more delicate. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
I used 1/4 c of unsweetened applesauce instead of flax egg and they came out amazing!
These are delicious! My 6 year old and 4 year old loved them too! Love that zucchini is incorporated in the recipe!
Hi Jaime! So happy to hear your family enjoys these bars! It’s a great way to sneak veggies into a delicious treat 😉 Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! Have a great weekend! 🙂
These look so delicious! I love hiding veggies in yummy recipes!
-Jennifer
https://maunelegacy.com
This looks so good! I haven’t baked in a long time but I might just try this recipe out….Yummy chocolatey goodness!
These look so dang delicious. These have to be considered a health food since they have zucchini in it. Will have to give these a try.
so so delish.. double chocolatey too.. definitely trying this one
I was so happy to see the gluten-free flour option as my daughter has coeliac disease. I will be making these for her next time she visits. I mean who can resist double chocolate anything? And thanks for the giggle when you compared it to a bowl of oatmeal. Wishing you well and a stop of your conditions negative progression.
Oh my goodness these bars look so decadent! So chocolatey and yummy ♥
It looks yummi, how can i substitute the coconut sugar ?
Thanks, Mima! You can try brown sugar or regular cane sugar. Let me know how they turn out for you!
I used brown sugar!