Try this vegetable in dessert recipes

Cookbooks published more than five years ago devote little if any space to zucchini and practically noe to zucchini desserts. Suddenly recipes for cakes, cookies and pies are proliferating, perhaps because the gardener has found that a couple of seeds planted in the spring can result two months later in a veritable stampede.

This prolific vegetable produces continually once it starts to blossom, however, friends and relatives are more than willing to share. It is fortunate tha recipes for zucchini are multiplying as fast as the crop.

Desserts are one of the sweetest ways to dispose of too many zucchini, especially the cakes and breads which freeze well. These are several new recipes to try. Zucchini Chocolate Cake with Chocolate chip topping 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup oil 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 4 tablespoons cocoa 3 zucchini, approximately 6 inches long, grated 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together brown and white sugars, butter and oil. Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and stri well to mix. Measure dry ingredients into sifter, then sift into bowl.

Grate zucchini into bowl. Stir until well blended. Pour into a greased and floured 9 by 13-inch pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake in a 325 -degree F. oven for 45 minutes. Zucchini Drop Cookies 2 Cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter or margarine 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini 1 cup chopped walnuts Glaze, recipe follows $S tir together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In large bowl of mixer cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and peel until fluffy. At low speed stir in flour mixture until dough is smooth. Stir in zucchini and walnuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated 375-degree F. oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until very lightly browned. While warm drizzle lightly with lemon or vanilla glaze. Cool on racks. Makes 72 cookies.

Lemon Glaze: Mix well 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Vanilla Glaze: In medium bowl, mix well 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Zucchini Currant-Walnut Cake 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups corn oil 3 cups sugar 3 cups raw zucchini 3 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup walnuts, chopped 1 cup currants

Peel zucchini and scrape out seeds and pulpy middle. Grate quite fine. Beat eggs until light. Add oil, sugar and zucchini and blend. Sift 2 cups flour, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and salt and stir in. Beat until smooth. Sift 1 cup flour over walnuts and currants. Stir in. Pour into a greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degress F. 1 1/2 hours or 1 hour in a 9 by 13-inch pan. Serve with ice cream. Zucchini Tart with Sugar and Spice topping 1 9-inch pastry shell, pre-baked 10 minutes 2 pounds zucchini, scrubbed and sliced diagonally 2 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Topping: 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Prepare pie shell and zucchini. Beat eggs and sugar together until light. Add flour, cream, and vanilla. Beat until well-blended. Pour filling into pie shell.

Toss zucchini slices with lemon rind and juice. Arrange slices in pie crust, overlapping in a circular pattern.

combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle over zucchini slices Bake in a preheated 350-degree F. oven until filling is set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve cold. Serves 6 to 8. Quick-Mix Zucchini Spice Cake 2 1/4 cups prepared baking mix 2 cups finely shredded unpared zucchini 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cloves 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 1/4cup milk 2 eggs 1 cup raisins Cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 by 9 by 2-inch square pan. Blend all ingredients except raisins and frosting in a large mixer bowl on low speed, scraping bowl constantly for 1/2 minute. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in raisins. Pour batter into pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting. Cream Cheese Frosting 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 box confectioners' sugar (2 cups minus 2 tablespoons) 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 tablespoons margarine, softened

Cream margarine with softened cream cheese. Add sifted confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Stir until blended and spread evenly over cooled cake.