
Move over, eggplant emojis. There’s a major rager of a zucchini in town. Nate brought it home from work because someone didn’t know what to do with their super large and uniquely shaped zucchini, so they gave it to Nate. Nate immediately reported it to a completely stunned Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team.
Alex took the words right out of my mouth:
“Is this…appropriate for work?”

And the answer is…yes! There’s so much of it to go around—so much love in the form of baked goods and extra salad fixings.
I was sort of kind of in the mood for a zucchini cake and a cookie, so Alex and I got to work looking for recipes online. Fortunately, there’s such a thing as a zucchini cake cookie, but it calls for more fall ingredients, such as cinnamon and cloves—which I love. I’m just not ready for them yet.
We’re desperately trying to hold onto summer until late September at the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Headquarters, so we subbed the raisins, cinnamon, and cloves for lemon extract, mandarin orange juice, mandarin orange zest, and chocolate chips because I love the combination of citrus with chocolate.
In any case, if you have to lug home a giant zucchini from work, here’s the recipe that came to our rescue:
Ingredients:
–2 cups of all-purpose flour
–1 tsp of baking soda
–1/2 tsp of salt
–1 cup of white, granulated sugar
— 1 cup of grated zucchini
–2 tsps. mandarin orange juice
–1 ½ tsps. lemon extract
–2 tsps. of mandarin orange zest
–1/2 cup of softened butter
–1 large egg
–3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method:
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a larger bowl, beat together the butter and the egg. Add the lemon extract, mandarin orange peel, and mandarin orange juice. Stir in the zucchini. Gradually add the flour mixture to the larger bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerator for one hour or longer, then place small scoops of the batter onto a baking sheet. Place the scoops one inch apart from one another.
Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.
Results:
The combination of citrus and chocolate works really well. You can barely taste the zucchini, but it adds a wonderful texture. These are like muffin tops without having to cut the top off of a perfectly good muffin!
Serve these with:
–All the flowers from the garden
–A very demure, very mindful gift basket.
–A bucket of iced tea
–A spritzer of summer rain
Your Turn:
What’s your favorite time of the year, and what do you do to make it last?
A few years ago, we had a a zucchini attack in our garden. It was horrifying! Zucchinis large enough to beat someone senseless with.
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Oh, no!
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Needless to say, we haven’t planted that many zucchini plants since.
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Our joke around here is that we only lock our car doors during zucchini season…
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That’s actually a great rule to live by. I’ll be adopting that rule from now on.
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Hilarious, but it has not worked for me. Several times I have had zucchini left on my windshield. Not even joking. 😆
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Wow – that sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe. 😊 I like spring, summer and autumn but probably spring the best although I often change my mind. Spring is always so great coming out of winter! Cheers.
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You’re welcome! Spring is such a welcome treat after the cold.
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I’ve been gifted super sized zucchini from work friends too. They make for a great stuffed zucchini.
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Ooh, stuffed zucchini is so good!
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Totally awesome Zucchini! Bring – On – The – Zucchiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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🙂
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A tasteful end to that naughty zucchini!
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Hahaha! Yes!
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Wow I never tried a sweet recipe with zucchini, thank you for the idea! And about the question, summer is my favourite season, I don’t know what to do to make it last … today sedtember is starting …
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You’re welcome! We’ll just have to enjoy summer while it lasts. Cheers!
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Citrus and chocolate. Interesting. I just forwarded this to Sensei and asked if he had any more zucchini to unload. I’d love to try this.
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Ooh! Can’t wait to hear Sensei’s thoughts 🙂
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My favourite season is the monsoon, which also brings winged beans in hordes, demanding to be picked and rehomed. I don’t see it lending itself to a cake or cookies, and it might lose me some friends. But it’s made me some too, those who like strange new animals.
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I had to look up “winged beans,” and they look lovely!
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Another great recipe! I love to cook, it is always great to find a source with excellent new challenging recipes to surprise my surrounding with. Thanks!
As to you question, I’m all about the summer vibes. Food is more colorful and the options are wider for food, adventures and such. However, winter bring good appetite along with its arrival. I seem to sort my options more with the cold weather as you stay in and simply spoil you tummy with delicious soups and meals, then dessert and surely a hot cup of hot chocolate after!
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Thank you so much! And I’m ready for the hot chocolate about now! 🙂
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