My fascination with Food: An Olympic Snack: Courgette and Chocolate Brownie

Dear Foodies,
As you will be able to tell by the number of courgette based recipes that I am likely to publish over the month of August courgettes are in season; and as one of the few vegetables we always have success with, our kitchen is inundated by a plethora of courgettes. Combining this with the Olympics, something that is on everyone's mind in England and will be through August, I decided to make courgette and chocolate brownies. For me this is ground baking cookery and while not necessarily healthy, having a vegetable as a sweet treat does feel healthy. So here is how to make my courgette and chocolate brownies which perfectly sum up the Olympic spirit and were enjoyed in our household while watching Bradley Wiggins making British Olympic history.

Ingredients:

125g Butter
100g Dark Chocolate
300g Soft Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
150 ml Milk
350g Plain Flour
2tbsp Baking Powder
4tbsp Cocoa Powder
450g (roughly 5) Courgettes Grated
1tsp Vanilla Extract

How to Make:

Line a 20x30cm Baking tin with foil or baking paper and then butter spread a thin layer of butter on the foil/paper (I do this with a paper towel).
Cream butter and sugar together (I prefer to do this in a mixer but both doing it by hand and with a mixer it is essential that the butter is soft).
To the creamed butter mixture add the eggs one at a time, mixing continually, add the milk in the same way.
Melt the dark chocolate in a glass bowl over boiling water - once cooled at the the butter, sugar, milk and egg mixture.
Peel skins from the courgettes and then grate.
To the chocolatey cake mixture sieve in flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and vanilla extract.
Once the dry ingredients are combined, stir in the grated courgette then tip mixture into the prepared tin, spreading evenly.
Bake for 25-35 mins at 180 degrees Celsius or until a skewer comes out clean.