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Butterscotch Zucchini Bars

Butterscotch zucchini bars are thick, golden dessert bars with a glossy, caramel-like finish and butterscotch chips pooled throughout for a gooey bite. Grated, squeezed-dry zucchini keeps the blondie-style bars tender while they bake up sliceable in a 9x13 pan.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
cooling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butterscotch zucchini bar batter
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips (divided)
  • 0.5 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking pan with a light coating of oil or nonstick spray; set aside for later.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Beat the brown sugar (packed), granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy, about 1–2 minutes.
Add zucchini
  1. Stir in the grated, squeezed-dry zucchini until it disappears into the batter with no visible wet clumps.
Combine and add chips
  1. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no flour remains, then fold in 1 cup butterscotch chips and the chopped walnuts if using.
Assemble in the pan
  1. Spread the batter evenly in the greased 9x13 pan and scatter the remaining butterscotch chips over the top for pooled pockets.
Bake
  1. Bake at 350°F for 28–32 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, and the top looks set and lightly golden.
Cool and cut
  1. Cool the bars completely in the pan before cutting into bars so the butterscotch chips firm up and the layers slice cleanly, about 30 minutes.

Notes

Pro tip: squeeze the zucchini very well (even a towel squeeze) so the bars bake up thick instead of soggy. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for 5 days; freeze baked bars for up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour blend (check it contains xanthan gum) to keep the chewy bar texture.