Zucchini Almond Butter Blondies

I saw this on "The Chew" t.v. show today on my DVR.  I decided I'd make them since they seemed somewhat healthy and a good thing to pack for the sweet "treat" in lunches.  Also, it was very easy and with few ingredients.

• 1 cup creamy almond butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (I used 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (I used unrefined organic)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 large zucchini, grated (I used 2 small)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper.  I used cooking spray as well.  In the end, since my pan was non-stick, the parchment wasn't necessary.  However, I wanted to make sure nothing stuck and don't know much about baking...

In a large bowl, mix together the almond butter, egg, salt, baking soda, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. 

Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini. This takes a bit of work, as the almond butter (fresh out of the fridge) is not easy to incorporate, but a little muscle works fine.  

Pour into a prepared dish, pressing down to spread evenly.  I dropped the pan down to land on on tea towel a couple of times to make it flatten and spread nicely.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.  I cooled it on a rack.

These were super moist.  It wasn't a bad thing, but next time I'd squish the zucchini between some paper towels before I mixed it in.  The taste was good.  Son said he didn't even notice the zucchini getting in the way of "blondie" flavor.