From the roundup: 24 Zucchini Cookies Recipes Easy Enough for Any Home Baker
These zucchini thumbprint cookies started as a way to use up the zucchini sitting on my counter before it went soft. I had peanut butter cookies on my mind and figured the shredded zucchini would either work or wreck the batch. It worked. The zucchini disappears completely into the dough and what you get is a peanut butter cookie that stays soft in the center for days instead of turning crisp by the next morning.
The whole thing comes together in about 24 minutes, with 12 of those in the oven. The most important step is pressing the zucchini dry before it goes into the dough. Skip that and the fork pattern slides right off the top. Squeeze it in a kitchen towel, flip the towel, and squeeze again. It takes two minutes and it makes a real difference in how the cookies bake up.
One batch makes 20 cookies, which sounds like a lot until you have a few kids circling the cooling rack. I usually have maybe eight left by the time they go to bed.
How this recipe actually happened
My neighbor dropped off three giant zucchini from her garden in August, the kind that are almost too big to fit in the crisper drawer. I had already made zucchini bread twice that week and nobody in my house was excited about a third loaf. I was making a peanut butter cookie dough that afternoon anyway, and I just grated one of the smaller zucchini, squeezed it as dry as I could, and folded it in.
My daughter, who picks zucchini out of everything, ate four of them and asked what made them so soft. I told her I used extra peanut butter. That answer still holds up.
Why you will love this
- The zucchini genuinely has no flavor in the finished cookie, it just keeps the center moist longer than a standard peanut butter cookie
- 24 minutes total means you can start these after dinner and have cookies cooling before anyone gets impatient
- The crosshatch fork pattern holds cleanly as long as the zucchini is pressed dry, so they look like you put in more effort than you did
- One bowl, no mixer required if your butter is truly softened
- They stay soft on day three, which almost never happens with homemade cookies
Tips for success
- Press the zucchini dry twice: lay it on a kitchen towel, press hard, flip the towel, press again. Wet zucchini makes the dough sticky and the fork lines blur in the oven.
- Dip the fork in granulated sugar before each press, not just once at the start. The sugar coat is what keeps the fork from dragging the dough up with it.
- Pull the cookies at 10 to 12 minutes even if the centers feel underdone. They will look soft and they are supposed to. Leave them on the pan for a full 5 minutes before lifting or they will fall apart.
- If your natural peanut butter has been sitting and the oil has separated, stir it completely before measuring. Unmixed natural peanut butter makes the dough greasy and the cookies spread too thin.
Common questions about this recipe
- Can I use almond butter or sunflower seed butter? Yes, either works as a 1:1 swap. Sunflower seed butter is a good nut-free option for school lunchboxes.
- Do the cookies taste like zucchini? No. The flavor is straight peanut butter. The zucchini only affects texture.
- Can I skip the zucchini? You can, but then you just have a regular peanut butter cookie. The zucchini is why the center stays soft.
- Why did my fork pattern disappear in the oven? Almost always wet zucchini. Go back to the towel-press step and make sure the shreds are nearly dry before they go in.
Substitutions
Almond butter or sunflower seed butter can replace the peanut butter in equal amounts. Sunflower seed butter is the better choice if you need something nut-free for school. Coconut sugar works in place of granulated sugar and gives the cookies a slightly deeper flavor. If you want them a little chewier, swap 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar for more brown sugar.
For add-ins, a handful of mini chocolate chips folded in with the zucchini works well. Chopped salted peanuts also hold up in the dough without making it dry. Stick to about 1/2 cup of mix-ins total or the dough gets hard to roll into clean balls.
Make-ahead and storage
The dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Cold dough actually makes the fork pattern sharper and easier to press, so this is worth doing if you have time. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling so the balls hold together without cracking.
Cooled cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. They are best on days one and two when the center is still soft. To freeze, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. They thaw at room temperature in about 20 minutes and hold their texture well.
Zucchini Cashew Butter Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Grate the zucchini on the fine side of a box grater. Lay it out on a clean kitchen towel and press firmly to absorb the moisture. Flip the towel and press again. You want the shreds nearly dry before they go into the dough. Wet zucchini will make the cookies sticky and the fork pattern will not hold.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until the dough just comes together. Fold in the dried shredded zucchini until evenly distributed throughout.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll into balls between your palms. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Dip a fork into a small bowl of granulated sugar and press down on each dough ball to flatten it slightly, then press again in the opposite direction to make the classic crosshatch pattern. The sugar on the fork keeps it from sticking.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the tops look dry and set. The cookies will feel slightly soft in the center when you pull them out. That is normal and they firm up completely as they cool.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. They are fragile right out of the oven and need that resting time to hold together when you lift them.
Notes
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