Everyone will be fooled by this great zucchini squash recipe! It looks and tastes just like apple cobbler! I serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or the next day at room temperature with whipped cream. Use one of those giant, 'I've been hiiiiiiding' zucchini you find in the deep vestiges of the garden! A real family favorite! Even people who think they hate zucchini will love this recipe!

Even the staunchest zucchini naysayers will rave & crave this recipe! I get such a kick out of making stuff my husband and daughter think they don't like then watch them gobble it up and ask for more! Nana even thought she found an apple seed! BHAWAHAHA!

Bottom line... NOM NOM NOM! This stuff rules!

PREP 25 min
COOK 35-40
READY IN 1 hr
Servings: 16

Step 1: Gather the Ingredients

For the filling

8 cups peeled, seeded, diced zucchini

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice approx. 4-5 lemons

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

For the topping

2 cups flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 Tb. molasses

3/4 cup butter

3/4 olive oil (or applesauce)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sliced almonds

When I peel the squash, I leave stripes of peel on it. If you have an exceptionally tough squash skin, you might want to remove it all. It's your preference.

Feel free to adjust the sweetness or vary the ingredients for what you have on hand.

Step 2: Easy Directions

Preheat oven 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. And a couple extra smaller dishes on the side to share! It's a generous recipe!

Peel, seed, chop & cube squash into large chunks. I leave on a lil peel since these are homegrown, organic goodness. It already pretty much looks like APPLES!

Cook zucchini with lemon juice in a covered saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 3/4 cup sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon & nutmeg. Simmer for a minute. Remove from heat, set aside.

Combine flour, oats, molasses, 1 tsp cinnamon & 1 1/2 cups sugar.

Cut in butter & olive oil into coarse crumbs (or applesauce). Add (optional) vanilla & almonds.

Stir 1/2 cup of crumb topping into cooked zucchini mix.

Pour filling into dish. Top with remaining topping.

Bake 35-40 minutes until light golden brown & bubbly.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Great the next day.

Step 3: Flexible Ingredients & Other Tips

This recipe is so flexible and easy to fiddle with. Feel free to experiment using a cup or more of berries, rhubarb, plums, cherries, apricots or other handy fruits. Just dice and prepare them with the zucchini and cook them just the same.

Feel free to cook the filling and freeze it for later use if you get a bumper crop of squash.

This cinchy recipe adapts well to experimenting & altering. The first time I made it I didn't have lemon juice so I made it with orange juice and my daughter thought it was peach cobbler! (I stayed up late and made it while everyone was sleeping so I could fool them! HEEHEE).

Feel free to adjust any ingredients, as you know your family's taste. You can use any citrus juice in place of the lemon juice. I made it with lime juice concentrate once when I didn't have any fresh citrus. It worked beautifully!

Almonds & vanilla are optional. Don't press top crust down or it can become a challenge to spoon thru! I use all the topping on the top but you can make a bottom and top crust if that's your preference. It's a really generous recipe!

I usually use a large deep dish, oven safe corningware pan and a small one or two so I can share. SOOO GOOD! And wait until you see their faces when you tell them it's ZUCCHINI!?! They won't believe you!

Now I'm hungry!