Zucchini Bars – Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

It’s still summer! So zucchini bars for the win.

These zucchini bars make me a leeeeettle bit of a hypocrite. I mean, I’m super excited for fall and I have fall decor out, but I’m not eating pumpkin yet or drinking pumpkin lattes. I’m still swimming and playing outside and eating ice cream and serving tomatoes and, well, making zucchini bars.

It’s like zucchini bread, but cuter.

MY OTHER RECIPES

These zucchini bars are a little more dense than cake. They remind me of banana bread and they are SO delicious when served straight from the fridge. They are topped with the creamiest cream cheese icing because I just can’t quit it.

There’s a little spice, a lot of veg and snack that is basically dessert but we may pass off as breakfast too.

THIS IS MY KIND OF BAR.

The only thing my mom really did with zucchini bread when I was growing up was make breaded parmesan rounds. I mean, they were SO good. They ARE so good. They remain one of my favorite ways to use up garden zucchini and they are always a crowd pleaser.

I didn’t even have zucchini bread until later in life! We are talking, like, college. Crazy, right?

And I was always on the fence because most versions tend to have nuts. There is nothing worse than cookies or brownies or bars with nuts. Except for cookies or brownies or bars with raisins. I just don’t want nuts in my dessert unless it’s something toasted almond or candied pistachio or what not.

That’s my truth and I’m sticking to it.

So I ended up making my own zucchini bread and then eventually made this amazing coconut chocolate chip zucchini bread. It is freaking fantastic.

I’m not a stranger to chocolate and zucchini desserts. Last year, I made chocolate zucchini cupcakes with avocado fudge frosting. I’ve made double chocolate zucchini cookies with sea salt and chewy chocolate chip oatmeal zucchini cookies. I’ve even made chocolate zucchini snack cake and that DOES have candied pistachios.

Clearly I have a little thing for chocolate.

These aren’t chocolate, but they more than make up for it in flavor. Perfect for the end of summer when zucchini is abundant and you’re all zoodled out, you know?

Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Yield: serves a crowd!

Total Time:1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups freshly grated zucchini

cream cheese frosting

• 2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10 x 15 inch sheet pan with nonstick spray (I like to use coconut oil!).

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg until combined. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Fold in the dry ingredients. Fold in the grated zucchini until combined and dispersed throughout. Spread the batter in the greased pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bars are set and not jiggly in the center. Let bars cool completely, then frost.

cream cheese frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Beat in the sugar until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract. Frost the cooled bars! I like to pop the bars in the fridge because we love them cold.

bars adapted from betty crocker

All images and text ©How Sweet Eats.

Just dying for that bite.