Make Ahead

Dark Chocolate Coconut-Almond Brownies

by:
September  4, 2011
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Makes 8X8 pan that can be cut to desired size
Author Notes

I like to find recipes and tweak them to my liking. I found a coconut cream cheese brownie recipe and it inspired me to create a brownie that could be a combination of an Almond Joy and a Mounds candy bar. I changed the amount of filling required, lowered sugar amount and used lower fat cream cheese and added almonds. I emphasized the amount of cacao in the chocolate because I'm a dark 72% and higher kind of gal! This recipe creates a very moist brownie with a nice texture! —JMT

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Ingredients
  • Coconut filling
  • 1/2 package Neufchatel cream cheese
  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded coconut
  • Brownie
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
  • one-3.5 ounces bar of 72% cacao chocolate
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8X8 baking pan.
  2. Filling: In a medium sized bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, 1/8 cup of sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and coconut. Mix together with hand mixer until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Brownie batter: Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. In a metal or glass bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, combine chocolate and oil. Stir until chocolate is melted. Let mixture cool slightly. Add the 1 cup of sugar, vanilla, eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix until smooth and lump free.
  4. Combine the flour mixture with the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Fold in ½ cup of almond slices.
  5. Pour the batter into the greased pan and place several dollops of the cream cheese/coconut filling evenly on top of the batter. Take a butter knife and swirl the filling back and forth into the batter in one direction, then turn pan and swirl again in a crosswise pattern through the batter.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes. Start checking at 35 minutes by inserting the blade of a knife to see if it comes out clean, not to overbake. Cool on a wire rack and wait at least 30 minutes before cutting. Cut to desired sized squares.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

4 Reviews

JMT March 9, 2016
It means "one" 3.5 oz chocolate bar (or anything close to that weight). And yes, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla would be the same 1-1/2 teaspoons. Sorry for the confusion! I'll try to edit!
Jocelyn M. March 9, 2016
Thanks for the quick clarification! Cheers
Jocelyn M. March 9, 2016
JMT, Can you answer a recipe formatting question we have about your ingredients?

Your ingredient lists:
1-3.5 ounces bar of 72% cacao chocolate
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Is this to be interpreted as 1 bar that weights 3.5oz and 1.5 tsp of vanilla? Or is this a bar that is 1 and 3.5 oz (see the distinction here: using the way the vanilla is formatted? ).

this is rather confusing.
dymnyno September 11, 2011
YES!!! I just saved this for future baking(I hope soon).