The apple cobbler that isn't . . .

My friend stopped by for a visit on the way home from a music conference, and at a potluck she attended, one of the guests brought in a delicious, bubbly fruit cobbler.  As people were eating it, the cook said "hey, guess what the fruit is in this dessert?" The general consensus was that it was apple, but guess what?  It was ZUCCHINI!  And I thought, "that is brilliant!  This has to go on my list of ways to use up all the neighbor's zucchini that I am already sick of eating", or words to that effect. There might have been swearing in the original, but you don't need to hear that.

With some cursory online research and willing guinea pigs at home, I came up with this pretty believable version.  The genius trick of cooking the zucchini in lemon juice and sugar to give it the tartness of an apple came from Taste of Home, by the way.  And that is probably the only time I will ever call them geniuses.

Baked Zucchini Cobbler

Serves 12

Filling:
8 peeled, sliced zucchini (should be sliced into ¼” coins, then cut in half)
¾ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flout
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2/3 cup butter, softened

Place zucchini and lemon juice in a large saucepan.  Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft, about 15 minutes.  Add nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar; stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Place all topping ingredients in a bowl and combine with your hands until it’s a little crumbly.  Pat evenly over zucchini.  Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes or until topping is golden brown.