Fresh From My Garden - Zucchini Cookies

From what I gather, other people in other parts of the country have zucchini ready RIGHT NOW and are looking for something to do with their bountiful crop. Well, around here in the Pacific Northwest (aka Zucchini Country) we come up with lots of ideas on how to use them! We grill 'em, we chill 'em, we eat 'em raw with dip, and of course we shred 'em and bake 'em. That's how we roll.

Up until this year I have never grown a Zucchini. I know, I know, what kind of a Washingtonian am I?? An inundated Washingtonian that's who! Because everyone, and I mean EVERYONE seems to think I could use a few extra zucchini around. For the past 3 years I've had 2 excellent zucchini sources: the lady across the street, and my mom. Good bless them! The year the girls were born I had so many that you would have thought I had my own plant. That year a good friend of mine came over to see my new babies, picked up a gigantic 5 lbs. zucch and proclaimed, "It's a BOY!" Yup, it was even shaped like a baby! And to think I shredded that baby up and tossed him into my freezer.

Ah, here he is now! My how you've... not grown at all. (Nice segway, eh?)



This recipe came from Sunset Magazine, August 2006. It was in the section where readers send in their favorite summertime recipes. And I must bow my hat to Jacob Gross of Lompoc, CA. (Can you believe such a great zucchini recipe could come from anywhere other than the NW?! I can, my SIL makes a killer zucchini bread. KILLER!) Jacob, you have saved me from throwing Zucchini to the compost pile many a time. These cookies are delicious AND easy to make. So Thank You!

First you take 1 cup of room temp butter. I usually leave my sticks on the counter overnight to make sure they're REALLY room temp. Then add 1 1/2 cups of sugar.



Mixy mixy until creamed.



Then add 2 eggs. I'd really love to have chickens and farm fresh eggs someday, but Hubs is very opposed to that idea... so I guess not. I think I'd make a very good crazy chicken lady.



Bock bock bock! Er... I mean... 1 Tablespoon of vanilla. More than the original recipe but I really like vanilla.



Then you mix in 2 cups of shredded zucchini, I don't have a picture of that part. Oops! Cracks me up that I forgot to take a picture of THE KEY INGREDIENT!

This here is 2 3/4 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt.



Combine the dry into the wet and mix until it's all fluffy and pretty.



Then add 1 cup of nuts, I used pecans.



One cup shredded sweetened coconut.



One cup raisins.



And one cup chocolate chips.



Mix it all together, and refrigerate for at least an hour or until the batter firms. This step isn't in the original recipe, but I've found it's the secret to keeping these cookies from spreading out and hardening in the oven. Gotta get those fats solidified! Then I use a small ice cream scoop to make the cookies uniform for even baking.

And they come out like this!








Zucchini Cookies

1 cup butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
2/3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup raisins
1 cup sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. In a medium bowl mix all flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to the zucchini mixture. Stir in nuts, chips, raisins and coconut. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lined cookie sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 15-20 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.