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Giant zucchini cookie cake [flour free]

April 16, 2020 / 72 Comments
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Giant zucchini cookie cake on a wooden cutting board.

Last year I published a post featuring a giant cookie cake recipe which I made for my husband’s birthday. It is lovely but only a special treat for us – it contains three different types of sugar (gosh!) and so it’s not particularly healthy for you, if eaten regularly. But the idea of a giant cookie cake has stuck in the back of my mind and I’ve been coming back to it – so much so that when I was wondering what to do with all that zucchini we’re still growing, it was suddenly clear: a giant zucchini cookie cake! I don’t have to tell you that the whole family was 100% behind this idea.

Giant cookie cake – always a good idea, right?

Of course. And this one is much healthier than the previous version. It still contains chocolate chips but you can substitute sugar free chips (or omit them completely) if you want to make this cake completely refined sugar free. But, even if you leave the chocolate chips in, the cookie cake is very low in refined sugar.

In addition, this cookie cake contains wholesome ingredients, such as rolled oats, linseed meal and almond meal, as well as nuts, coconut and raisins which give it a beautiful texture. I also included a whole cup of zucchini which also adds beautifully to the nutritional content and texture of this cookie cake but does not interfere with the taste.

You may think that the list of ingredients looks a bit long but I like to think of it as layering of flavours and textures. This is what I look for in a good cookie – well that, and some delicious chunks of chocolate. Just imagine, biting into this cookie cake and getting a taste of nuts, chocolate, coconut, oats, raisins and spices, all in one go. Mmmm, mouthwatering, right?

I think I should mention that while this cookie cake is every bit as delicious as it looks, its texture is more like a cake than a cookie. By that I mean it’s crumblier and softer than a cookie but I hope that you will enjoy it all the same.

Giant zucchini cookie cake on a wooden cutting board.

No flour needed for this cookie cake

Isn’t this great news? At a time like this when most of us struggle to find flour in the shops, you can still make and enjoy this cookie cake. Instead of flour, I use rolled oats, linseed meal (or LSA mix) and almond meal – all of which still seem to be available.

Even better, the remainder of the ingredients for this cake are fridge or pantry staples like nuts, spices, shredded coconut, eggs, mild-flavoured oil (like sunflower, macadamia or MCT oil), milk, maple syrup, vanilla paste and baking powder. The only exception is zucchini, which you may or may not have but, if you don’t, it should be easily replaced by carrot or apple (though I haven’t tested this), or a mixture of zucchini and carrot/apple if you don’t have enough zucchini.

Giant zucchini cookie cake on a wooden cutting board.
Giant zucchini cookie cake on a wooden cutting board.
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4.93 from 13 votes

Giant zucchini cookie cake [flour free]

Author: Katerina | Once a Foodie

Materials

Dry ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup LSA mix, or linseed meal
  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp speculaas spices or cinnamon
  • pinch of salt flakes
  • 1 cup mixed nuts, chopped into pieces (I use macadamias and pecans)
  • 1/4 cup sultanas
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Wet ingredients

  • 1/3 cup macadamia oil (or you can substitute sunflower oil or MCT oil, or another mild-tasting oil)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
  • 1/4 cup milk (regular or plant-based)
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini (I use larger zucchini which I peel and de-seed, and then blitz the flesh in a food processor – if you do the same, there's no need to squeeze the water out; otherwise, if you're using smaller zucchini and you are not de-seeding, you may want to squeeze some of the liquid out so the batter is not too wet.)

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Grease and line a 28 cm round baking tin with baking paper. Or, if you're using a fluted tin like me, grease and flour it so that you can get the cake out easily at the end. (See "Recipe notes" below if you wish to make individual cookies or bake as a slice.)
  • Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Whisk all the wet ingredients (apart from zucchini) together in a glass measuring cup or a small bowl.
  • Pour the wet ingredients mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Mix in the shredded zucchini (see the ingredient list above for tips on whether you should be squeezing the liquid out of the zucchini) until well combined.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and smooth it down in an even layer.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
  • Take out of the oven and let it cool down fully before taking the cookie cake out of the tin.

Notes

  • I have also made this recipe as a cookie slice and individual cookies. You could try this for a change or if you don’t have a large baking tin for the giant cookie cake. You may just need to adjust the baking time accordingly. For individual cookies, I would suggest shortening the baking time to about 15-18 minutes (but check on your cookies to make sure they don’t burn).
  • I made my cookie slice in a small (10in by 15in, or 23cm by 30cm) slice pan (I have this one from Ikea which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be on their website anymore) which did not require any adjustment to baking time – it was perfect baked for 30 minutes at 180C. If you are baking your cookie slice in a smaller baking tin, say a square brownie pan, you may require a little more baking time, say 35-40 minutes (but again, check on your slice towards the end of the baking time, to make sure it’s firm in the middle but the edges are not burning).
 
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Giant zucchini cookie cake on a wooden cutting board.

Recipe notes

I have also made this recipe as a cookie slice and individual cookies. You could try this for a change or if you don’t have a large baking tin for the giant cookie cake. You may just need to adjust the baking time accordingly. For individual cookies, I would suggest shortening the baking time to about 15-18 minutes (but check on your cookies to make sure they don’t burn).

I made my cookie slice in a small (10in by 15in, or 23cm by 30cm) slice pan (I have this one from Ikea which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be on their website anymore) which did not require any adjustment to baking time – it was perfect baked for 30 minutes at 180C. If you are baking your cookie slice in a smaller baking tin, say a square brownie pan, you may require a little more baking time, say 35-40 minutes (but again, check on your slice towards the end of the baking time, to make sure it’s firm in the middle but the edges are not burning).

  • Zucchini cookie slice on a wooden cutting board.
  • Zucchini cookie slice on a wooden cutting board.
  • Zucchini cookie slice on a wooden cutting board.
This is the zucchini cookie slice – also delicious!

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