Chocolate and Zucchini?

Mom always said, "eat your vegetables" but have we gone too far? I came across a recipe for Lemon Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies in the latest issue of Everyday Food Magazine. I thought that sounded really interesting and different. So, I decided to make them and as I was preparing the dough, I suddenly had a thought: why not replace the lemon with chocolate chips? I mean doesn't everything go better with chocolate? Just as I had suspected, the cookies came out even better than any regular chocolate chip cookie, with a wonderful crunchy exterior (from the addition of the cornmeal) and a lovely soft interior- you really don't notice the zucchini except for the pretty flecks of green that you get.

So here is the recipe with my adaptation:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
• 1 medium zucchini, grate on the small holes of a box grater (about one cup)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Add flour and cornmeal and stir until mixture is crumbly. Before adding the zucchini, squeeze out the excess moisture by wrapping the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze until excess moisture is released. Add the zucchini to the rest of the mixture and stir to incorporate. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto parchment -lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown at edges, 25-30 minutes, rotating sheets about halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks. Makes approx. 24 cookies.

I think Mom would be proud! After all, I am eating my vegetables right??