Rich and chocolaty, these Chocolate Frosted Zucchini Bars are filled with chocolate from the base to the super simple frosting! Making them soft and moist is the hidden ingredient of shredded zucchini!
Whether you find yourself with too much zucchini on your hands or you just like rich, chocolaty desserts, these Chocolate Frosted Zucchini Bars are sure to please!
We packed chocolate into every component of these soft, moist bars. Chocolate Craving = Satisfied!
The base of the bars get their chocolaty flavor from unsweetened baking cocoa and mini chocolate chips.
We went with mini chocolate chips so that you can get some in each bite without having to use as much as you would with regular chocolate chips.
(Feel free to use regular chocolate chips if you don’t have the mini variety on hand.)
We couldn’t stop at just a rich, chocolaty bar, we had to add a chocolate frosting, too!
It’s a super simple frosting that uses unsweetened baking cocoa, melted butter, and confectioner’s sugar as it’s main components. Just stir it all together, and it’s done!
And since we’re all about dirtying as few bowls as possible, this recipe only dirties two. One for the bars and one for the frosting. That’s a win in my book!
How to Make Chocolate Frosted Zucchini Bars
Thankfully it doesn’t take long to make these chocolaty bars! The hardest part is waiting for the bars to cool completely so you can frost them!
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set the dish aside for now.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, unsweetened baking cocoa (make sure it’s unsweetened or you will end up with really sweet bars!), sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until no clumps remain.
Next, stir in the plain yogurt (I like to use low-fat or whole milk for the best flavor and texture.), milk, and vanilla extract until just starting to combine with the dry ingredients.
Add in the egg and melted coconut oil. Stir until mixture is combined.
Gently fold in the shredded zucchini and mini chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. I like to level out the batter with an off-set spatula so that the bars bake to an even thickness.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a couple of crumbs.
Remove baking dish to a wire rack to allow the bars to cool completely. It is important to allow the bars to cool completely so that the frosting does not melt.
While the bars are cooling, begin working on the frosting.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and unsweetened baking cocoa (Once again, make sure you are using unsweetened baking cocoa or the frosting will end up super sweet!) until completley combined.
Add in the melted butter, 3 Tablespoons half and half, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Add additional half and half, as needed, to achieve desired consistency.
Spread frosting over completely cooled bars. Sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips, if desired.
Cut into pieces, and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Tips for Making Frosted Chocolate Zucchini Bars
- If you plan on serving these bars outside, note that really hot weather will make the frosting get a little runny.
- Don’t have mini chocolate chips on hand? Regular chocolate chips work just as well. Feel free to switch up the flavor, too. Milk chocolate or dark chocolate would taste great!
- You can use sour cream in place of the plain yogurt.
- If you notice that your zucchini seems really wet when you first start shredding it, shred the zucchini onto a clean kitchen towel and then lightly squeeze the zucchini in the towel. You don’t want to squeeze out all of the moisture.
Love baking with zucchini? More zucchini recipes to try!
- Bakery Style Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Zucchini Carrot Cake Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cinnamon Streusel Zucchini Banana Bread
Frosted Chocolate Zucchini Bars
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Zucchini Bars
- 1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 Cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 1/4 Cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil (measured in the liquid state), melted and cooled butter or canola oil would also work
- 1 Cup shredded zucchini
- 1/3 Cup mini chocolate chips
For the Chocolate Frosting
- 1 13/4 Cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/3 Cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 1/4 Cup melted butter
- 3-5 Tablespoons half and half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- additional mini chocolate chips for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, unsweetened baking cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until no clumps remain.
- Stir in plain yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until just starting to combine. Add in the egg and melted coconut oil. Stir until combined.
- Gently fold in shredded zucchini and mini chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Level out batter so that bars bake to an even thickness.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the bars are cooling prepare the chocolate frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and unsweetened baking cocoa until completely combined. Stir in melted butter, 3 Tablespoons half and half, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add additional half and half, as needed, to reach desired consistency.
- Spread frosting over completely cooled bars. (The frosting will melt if you put it on the bars while they are still warm!) Sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips, if desired. Cut into pieces, and serve.
- Store leftover zucchini bars in an airtight container.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 244Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 129mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 31gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and may not always be accurate. Nutrition values can vary greatly based on brand used. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
