Think carrot cake, and banana bars. That's what I was going for with these bars. I like how banana bars are dense with frosting, but these would be more carrot cake-y because of spices added. I didn't really feel like looking for a recipe, so I used the zucchini brownie recipe as a base, omitted the cocoa, and changed a few things to make these healthier zucchini bars.
Prepare the pan with shortening and flour
Applesauce, Agave nectar, sugar, and vanilla
Add dry ingredients, zucchini, and walnuts
Spread in the pan
The remnants of the huge zucchini I used to make these bars
Baked for 30 minutes
Cream cheese and butter
Add powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat until it's smooth
Spread on the bars
Finished zucchini bar
The bars turned out heavy than I would have liked, I think it may be due to using the Agave nectar instead of regular granulated sugar. I bought this nectar a loooong time ago and figured it was time to try to use it up. I think I read once that it's not even any healthier than granulated sugar, but I need to research more about it. I would assume it would be more cake-y if you used frozen shredded zucchini thawed out like what happens with the zucchini brownies. Overall, they were still pretty good!
Here's the recipe
Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 c. applesauce (or 1/2 c. oil)
2/3 c. agave nectar (or 1 1/2 c. sugar total)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. shredded zucchini
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Frosting
1/4 c. butter or margarine (room temperature)
8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, mix applesauce, nectar, sugar, and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir into mixture. Fold in zucchini and walnuts. Spread into pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until bars spring back. Let cool completely. Mix frosting ingredients until smooth and spread on bars.
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