The Chocolate Zucchini Pumpkin Cookies That Prove Veggies Are Treats
One of the best places to introduce and/or insert vegetables into your child’s diet may be where you least expect it: treats. Just as in smoothies or even macaroni and cheese, grated and/or purees of vegetables, particularly the sweet-leaning or tasteless kind, can easily be incorporated into baked goods for a nutrition boat without compromising the taste or texture of the dish. You don’t even have to “hide” them, either: vegetables look just fine and right next to, you know, chocolate chips.
That’s what we have here, which incorporates both zucchini and pumpkin into cookie form; rolled oats, rather than flour, does the heavy lifting. Does it have the richness and texture that your favorite bakery cookie does? Afraid not. But it is sweet and soft enough to make a fine mid-afternoon–or mid-morning!--snack; your child won’t notice or mind the vegetables, either. And neither will you–and that’s why we made sure the recipe made enough for you to down a few, too.
(Note: proportions are designed to make about 12 cookies; double ingredients if looking to produce a larger batch.)
- 1 small Zucchini (or 2/3rds of a medium one or ½ of a large on)
- 4 oz Pumpkin (i.e., roughly ⅓ of a can)
- 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp neutral Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon (pumpkin pie spice can be substituted here)
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- Chocolate Chips (optional but highly recommended)
- Peel and grate the zucchini into a colander or strainer; add a pinch of salt and allow 20 minutes for water to leech out of the courgette gratings. When ready to prep the cookies, squeeze out any excess moisture from the zucchini pieces.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the zucchini, pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla extract; mix until incorporated. Then add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt; mix until blended.
- If using, add in the chocolate chips and stir until fully blended into batter.
- With a spoon, scoop out a chunk of batter and place onto parchment paper on pan; use the back of the spoon to flatten and spread out the batter. Repeat with remaining batter, making sure to leave an inch or two of space on the pan between the cookies.
- For a soft cookie, heat for 15-16 minutes; if you’d like browned, slightly crispy edges, cook for 17-18 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a rack for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Soft and light enough for pretty much any toddler, just hand your child one–and guard the rest of the stash. For smaller children, try crumbling the cookies over yogurt–makes a great snack or even a light breakfast.
You can very easily turn this into an oat bake that’s great for breakfast by removing the flour and doubling the remaining ingredients; scoop larger spoonfuls onto a baking pan and cook for 16-18 minutes, or spoon all of the batter into a deep baking dish or casserole pan and cook until edges are browned, roughly 20-22 minutes.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
