Saturday, August 26, 2006

Don't be afraid... it's just zucchini!

Zucchini in baked goods sometimes weirds people out, usually because you can see the threads inside, but I don't find that you can really taste it. The zucchini helps keep the item very moist and is a good way to use them up when you have an abundance of them laying around. Grated zucchini portioned out into the amount needed for a recipe freezes well and tends to thaw pretty quick.

I wanted to make a snack cake today and have had this recipe, Spiced Zucchini Bars with Cranberries and Pecans, in my to-try pile for quite a while. We decided we waited way too long to make this after we had our first piece. The tender cake is so moist with a rich caramel-esque sweetness from dark brown sugar. Cinnamon and allspice bring a light spicy flavor which was a great accent to the dried cranberries. The nutty flavor really came through even though there are not a ton of pecans - but dont skimp on toasting them first, they might get lost without that boost in flavor. I also like how visible the bright green strips are weaved throughout each piece.


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16 comments:

  1. Ana8/26/2006 03:51:00 PM

    These look so yummy! I love zucchini bread and baked goods made with zucchini! The zucchini really makes them very moist!!
    Ana

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  2. Catherine Weber8/26/2006 10:26:00 PM

    zucchini baked goods are awesome!

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  3. Unknown8/26/2006 10:32:00 PM

    I also love the way the zucchini shows in the end product. I recently found a zucchini bread that didn't use 2 cups of sugar for one loaf; it only used 1/2 cup and was delicious!

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  4. Heather8/26/2006 11:42:00 PM

    They look wonderful and a great reason to have some zucchini around the house.

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  5. funwithyourfood8/27/2006 12:59:00 AM

    afraid of Zucchini? NEVER

    i'll globble it up thank you

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  6. Anonymous8/27/2006 06:53:00 AM

    Oh my, this is dangerously delicious! I never have a glut of zucchinis, but despite their price I love anything that incorporates them!

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  7. wheresmymind8/27/2006 09:37:00 AM

    Those look really hearty...I'm still afraid of the zucch!

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  8. Brilynn8/27/2006 10:02:00 AM

    I like using zucchini in baking, particularly in chocolate zucchini muffins, but I recently tried a more savory/sweet loaf, a cheddar cheese zucchini loaf, and it turned out really well, here's a link to the recipe if you'd like to try it: http://www.chatelaine.com/applications/recipe/article.jsp?recipeId=6153
    (Don't let the fact that it's from Chatelaine discourage you... :)

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  9. Brilynn8/27/2006 10:02:00 AM

    I like using zucchini in baking, particularly in chocolate zucchini muffins, but I recently tried a more savory/sweet loaf, a cheddar cheese zucchini loaf, and it turned out really well, here's a link to the recipe if you'd like to try it: http://www.chatelaine.com/applications/recipe/article.jsp?recipeId=6153
    (Don't let the fact that it's from Chatelaine discourage you... :)

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  10. Brenda8/27/2006 10:51:00 AM

    Wow those look good! I just looked at the recipe and I have everything but the flour. I live in The-Middle-Of-No-Where, NM and my little tiny grocery doesn't have stuff like that. Wonder if I could use regular flour or cake flour? I may have to wait until I do my weekly grocery trek to "town".

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  11. Anonymous8/27/2006 11:07:00 AM

    Spiced Zucchini Bars with Cranberries and Pecans is one of my favorite recipes.

    We're headed to Va this week. I'll wave as we go by the Frederick exit.

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  12. Anonymous8/27/2006 01:46:00 PM

    This is just too funny - I was looking at my copy of One Smart Cookie yesterday and put those on my "Must Try" List

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  13. Anonymous8/27/2006 03:07:00 PM

    now who's afraid of zucchini? i've never heard of such a thing. it's the most generic vegetable on the planet, no?

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  14. Anonymous8/28/2006 08:09:00 PM

    Its amazing how many people are affraid of veggies. I recently made Zucchini Cupcakes but wouldn't say what was in them until everyone tried them just to be safe....

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  15. Anonymous8/29/2006 04:13:00 PM

    I actually printed them off and made them Saturday before supper. The bars were wonderful! I subbed ww flour and regular pastry/cake flour and they came out fine. I did learn that when you're using fresh from the garden zucchini, you'll need to grate more than when using store-bought ones because of the higher water content.

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  16. Joe8/29/2006 09:16:00 PM

    Ana - I agree, the zucchini is the key to these!

    Sher - So true!

    Catherine - I'm with you on that!

    Claire - Care to point me in the direction of that recipe?

    Heather - Give it a go!

    Teddy - Yeah!

    Ellie - Jeff and I both really enjoyed the bars!

    Wheresmymind - Just close your eyes and enjoy!

    Brilynn - Thanks for the link! They sound a little unusual but a combination that could work!

    Brenda - Certinaly, you could just use all-purpose and be fine!

    Anon - Ooh! *waves back!*

    Dani - Let me know if you make 'em!

    TG - You may be surprised!

    Pam - Yeah, the only give away with these is how much you can actually see them.

    Jennifer - Glad to hear they worked out well!

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