By: Sammi Ricke
I was inspired to make these Coconut Zucchini Cookies as I was scrolling through a fellow blogger’s zucchini recipe round up. I have TONS of zucchini in my garden waiting to be harvested at this very moment, so I thought it would be a fun afternoon task to come up with my own version.
I don’t know why, but I was intrigued by the idea of doing a zucchini cookie with coconut and a little chocolate.
The end result is a delightful cake-like cookie that is just heavenly.
The fun part of this recipe is that it uses so many different varieties of coconut! Coconut is packed with nutrients and healthy fats, and is a fabulous addition to a healthy diet.
These cookies have coconut oil instead of butter, coconut sugar instead of refined sugar, and coconut shreds to bump up the coconut flavor even further!
Even with all these additions, the coconut flavor is subtle and sweet.
The chocolate really is the “icing” on these cake-like cookies! It is a little added sweetness and I am sure we can all agree that a bit of chocolate makes everything better, right?!
Did you all know we have three categories for our recipes at Grounded & Surrounded? SLIM {for weight loss}, SUSTAIN {for maintenance}, and SPLURGE {for occasional treats}.
We labeled this one SUSTAIN, so long as you only eat one or two.
If you sit down and eat half the batch, then it is definitely a SPLURGE! We won’t judge you, by the way. We have a hard time using portion control with these too!
It is so fun to create unique new recipes to use our garden produce. We have used zucchini in meatloaf, turkey meatballs, muffins, bread, pancakes, these fabulous cookies, quiche, and raw in salads.
My very favorite way to preserve the zucchini harvest is Sarah’s Zucchini Relish!! It is just like pickle relish for hot dogs or burgers, but WAY better and beautiful to boot! Sarah and I use green zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper and the jars turn out just gorgeous. We are working on a version of this recipe to share with you all soon!
Follow Grounded & Surrounded Blog’s board MOST POPULAR RECIPES on Pinterest.
I see these cookies becoming a summer tradition in our home!
Recently, I made a double batch and froze half. The other night, I pulled a few out of the freezer to thaw for breakfast the next morning. The kids were overjoyed that they had cookies with their eggs.
These Coconut Zucchini Cookies are perfect for your next sweet treat or potluck! Everyone will be asking you for the recipe.
What is your favorite way to use zucchini?
Coconut Zucchini Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely shredded zucchini with as much liquid removed as possible
- 1/2 cup coconut shreds
- 1 1/2 cups Flour I used our G&S GF Flour Blend Recipe
- 1 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum only needed if using our gluten-free flour blend
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips I used Enjoy Life
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cream together applesauce, oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla in large bowl.
- Next, stir in shredded zucchini and coconut shreds.
- Add in flour, xanthum gum, and baking soda. Next stir in the last ingredient: chocolate chips!
- Using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop place the dough on a silicone baking mat atop a metal baking sheet. Feel free to press the cookies flatter, they will not spread much if at all. This is not necessary though.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops of cookies are slightly browned and bounce back when you press gently on them. These cookies are very forgiving and it will be best to over-bake them than under-bake as they hold onto the moisture of the zucchini.
- Store them in an air-tight container for several days or freeze them to enjoy later!
