From the roundup: 24 Zucchini Cookies Recipes Easy Enough for Any Home Baker
These zucchini cranberry vanilla bean cookies started as a way to use up the zucchini that piles up in August, but they’ve turned into a year-round request. The title sounds fancier than the process: one bowl, drop cookies, no chilling, done in under 30 minutes. The zucchini disappears completely into the dough and just keeps the centers soft without making anything cakey or wet, as long as you actually squeeze the water out.
The raisins get soaked in hot water for five minutes before they go in, which sounds fussy but matters. I skipped that step once and ended up with shriveled little pockets instead of the plump, juicy bites the recipe is supposed to have. Five minutes is nothing. Do it while you grate the zucchini and it costs you zero extra time.
Each batch makes 24 cookies and they hold up well for several days, which is the main reason I keep coming back to this recipe. A warm cookie is good, but the texture is actually better after they’ve cooled for 15 minutes and set up properly.
Why you will love this
- One bowl and no chilling means you can have cookies on the cooling rack in under 30 minutes
- The zucchini keeps every bite soft without any vegetable flavor coming through
- Soaked raisins stay plump and juicy instead of tough or chewy in a bad way
- Drop cookies with a gentle press, no rolling or shaping required
- They pack well in lunch boxes and stay soft for several days at room temperature
Tips for success
- Squeeze the zucchini firmly in a kitchen towel until no more water drips out. Too much moisture in the dough makes the cookies spread flat and lose their chew.
- Press each dough mound down slightly with your palm before baking. These cookies do not spread on their own, so whatever shape they go in is the shape they come out.
- Pull them when the edges look set but the tops still seem slightly underdone. They firm up as they cool, and an extra two minutes in the oven is the difference between chewy and dry.
- Rotate the pans halfway through the 12 to 14 minute bake. Ovens heat unevenly and the back pan almost always runs hotter.
Common questions
- Can I use instant oats? Old-fashioned rolled oats give a chewier bite. Instant oats will make the texture softer and a bit more uniform, which works but changes the cookie.
- My cookies came out flat. The zucchini probably had too much moisture left in it. Squeeze harder next time, or press the shreds into a measuring cup and blot with a paper towel before adding.
- Can kids tell there is zucchini in these? In five years of making them, not one of my kids has noticed. The zucchini shreds are small and the flavor is fully masked by cinnamon and vanilla.
- Do I need a hand mixer? You can cream the butter and sugars by hand with a wooden spoon if the butter is truly soft. It takes about three minutes of solid stirring to get it light enough.
Substitutions
Raisins can be swapped for dried cranberries, golden raisins, or chopped dried cherries. Any of them benefit from the same five-minute soak. For a gluten-free version, a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten-free oats work well here. Coconut oil can replace the butter if you need dairy-free, though the cookies will be slightly less rich. If you only have one type of sugar on hand, all brown sugar deepens the molasses flavor and still works fine.
Make-ahead and storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Tucking a slice of sandwich bread into the container keeps them from drying out. To freeze unbaked dough, scoop the cookies onto a parchment-lined sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip bag for up to six weeks. Bake straight from frozen at 350 degrees F and add two to three minutes to the bake time.
Baked cookies freeze well too. Seal them in a zip bag with a little air pressed out and freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes or microwave a single cookie for about 15 seconds.
Zucchini Cranberry Vanilla Bean Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Place the raisins in a small bowl, cover with hot tap water, and let them soak for 5 minutes. Drain well and spread on a paper towel, patting them dry. Set aside. While those soak, grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Gather the shreds in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over the sink until no more water drips out. Measure 1 cup of the squeezed zucchini and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined, do not overmix. Fold in the squeezed zucchini and the dried raisins until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently press each mound down slightly with your palm since these cookies do not spread much on their own.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges look set and the tops are just barely golden. The centers may still look slightly underdone but they will firm up as they cool. Do not overbake or they will lose their chewiness.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They are good warm but the texture is best after 15 minutes of cooling.
Notes
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