Note to the couple who bought our house and the swarm of people in and out a few weeks ago in relation to that: Those cookies sitting on the kitchen counter? The ones with the suspicious green flecks baked into them? Those cookies were not funny cookies! That was just zucchini. Really!

Iced Brown Sugar Zucchini Cookies | Kitchen Treaty

It didn’t even occur to me that they might look suspect until the next day, the day after person after person paraded around our home in a flurry. I plopped down the next morning, still exhausted from the day before, and I bit into one. I looked at it and realized, huh. These look kind of like what I would expect pot cookies to look like.

IT WAS ZUCCHINI, friends! Not, you know, the other stuff. The stuff that’s actually now legal in our state, but still. I’m still kind of blushing.

Anyway, I am obsessed with this much more innocuous green stuff in cookies this summer. It’s the perfect way to get my little one to eat vegetables (yes, I’m also obsessed over that, as evidenced by the fact that I mention it in pretty much every post). The toddler gets excited over cookies. Plain ol’ vegetables, not so much.

Iced Brown Sugar Zucchini Cookies | Kitchen Treaty

These cookies are based on the Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe I posted earlier this summer – love, love, love that recipe! For this one, I left out the chocolate chips, went with a little more brown sugar, and then dipped the cookies into a rich, buttery brown sugar glaze.

Sure, they’re not as “funny” as they might look, but I adore these soft, cakey little glazed cookies. And I love that they use up some zucchini. This time of year, that’s a very, very (very!) good thing.

Iced Brown Sugar Zucchini Cookies | Kitchen Treaty
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Iced Brown Sugar Zucchini Cookies

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 42 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
These super-soft, sweetly spiced little gems are the perfect use for some of that zucchini that keeps pouring in from your garden, your friends, and your neighbors. (You can even thank them with a plateful!)

Ingredients

  • Cookies
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (can substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour for 4 cups total)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 large or 2 medium zucchini)
  • Brown Sugar Glaze
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 cups confectioners (powdered sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and pale - about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until completely blended. Add the vanilla and mix.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low (or stir by hand) just until the ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be stiff.
  • Add the zucchini and mix just until incorporated.
  • Scoop the cookies in approximately 2-tablespoon increments, about 2 inches apart, onto an ungreased non-stick cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with silicone mat. (Do you have a cookie scoop yet? It will change your life!)
  • Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until the cookies are set and light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Make brown sugar glaze. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add brown sugar. Stir for about 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Gradually add milk and, increasing heat to medium, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from heat and slowly whisk in powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract and pinch salt. Cool for about 20 minutes.
  • Hold cookies by the bottom and dip the tops into the glaze. Set right-side up on cookie rack. Cool until glaze sets.
  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a few months.
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