I'm Really Bad at Not Writing + A Really Good Zucchini Recipe

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The title says it all, really.

At the beginning of the month, I sent my latest novel off to beta readers…which means I have to sit and wait patiently for feedback.

Usually, I write for about 2+ hours every morning, and I don’t take breaks. I am not good at taking breaks. Writing is how I stay sane. It’s my creative outlet, my therapy, my coping mechanism. All this is to say: I am not good at not writing.

But when a book is with beta readers, I am forced to take a break.

So what have I been doing instead?

I’ve read a great craft book, taken three virtual masterclasses, cooked all the ambitious and time-consuming dinner recipes, and cleaned the entire house (and I mean entire—closet purges, plant re-potting, shelf-reorganizing—the works).

In one of these cleaning sprees, I found a beloved recipe that has been lost for 8 years. Seriously.

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I found it tucked into a cookbook, and I wept when I saw it. I’ve missed this recipe terribly! For one, I loooove zucchini (and all squash, really). I also love chocolate. And coconut. These zucchini bars have it all, and I was SO HAPPY to find the recipe again.

Of course, I had to make some. And I had to share them in my newsletter, because my readers deserve the best!

As for my beta feedback: I’m still waiting on a few readers. The early comments I’ve received are positive, but I still have a lot of work to do (the primary reason why I won’t be starting a new novel just yet). I can’t wait to get back to writing. But in the meantime, excuse me while I make more of these bars.

The Best Zucchini Bars

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup shortening

  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar

  • 1/2 white granulated sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 tsp vanilla

  • 1 3/4 cups flour (also works well with gluten free perfect blend flours)

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

  • 3/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut

  • 1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate, as these bars are already pretty sweet)

  • 2 cups grated zucchini, with most of the juices drained

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  2. Cream the shortening with the sugars.

  3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

  4. Sift the salt, flour, and baking soda, and mix into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.

  5. Fold in the zucchini, coconut, and chocolate chips.

  6. Pour into a prepared 9x13 baking dish (I use parchment paper in a pyrex dish).

  7. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

  8. Serve plain, or frost with your favorite buttercream frosting.