I recently ordered one of everything at my favorite bakery, and yet somehow, the beautiful brownie that I know was on my list did not make it into the bag. Yes, I had cupcakes and caramel cake and biscuits and scones and a cookie (I said one of everything – don’t judge), but since there was no decadent chocolate punch in the face, I did what anyone would do: I made brownies. And for fun-sies, I used coconut oil.
Usually I use coconut oil when making popcorn. It doesn’t impart a taste but rather an aroma of coconut, and I find it somehow tastes cleaner than vegetable oil. You can definitely taste the coconut in these brownies, though – imagine a Mounds truffle. Break the Just Five rules and gild the lily by adding vanilla extract or chopped almonds to the batter or topping with toasted coconut flakes or sea salt after baking.
Quick Coconut Brownies
1 8-by-8-inch pan
¾ cup solid coconut oil
½ cup (4 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
3 room-temperature eggs
¾ cup flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the coconut oil and chocolate chips, stirring gently, until the chocolate is completely melted.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted chocolate mix and the brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs 1 at a time, then stir in the flour and salt until just combined.
• Pour the batter into an 8-by-8-inch glass dish and bake 25 minutes. Some oil will rise to the top of the brownies while baking, but it will absorb as they rest.
• Let rest at least 1 hour before cutting.
Dee Ryan is a longtime contributor to Sauce Magazine and regularly pens Make This.
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2017.