These Almond Fudge Brownies (that's it!) are gooey and rich. There's a bit of coconut stirred in, which lends a pleasant chewy texture.
My official brownie taste-tester couldn’t decide what to call these gooey treats. She suggested, ‘Macaroon Brownie Bars,’ and ‘Coco-Choco Almond Squares.’ Personally, I opted for ‘Frighteningly Addictive Brownie Thingies,’ as I found myself sneaking a crumble of this chocolate/ almond/ brownie/ whatever every single time I walked past my kitchen.
These Almond Fudge Brownies (that’s it!) are gooey and rich. There’s a bit of coconut stirred in, which lends a pleasant chewy texture and also makes this confection a perfect ending for your Easter meal.
I’m not fooling around about the ‘gooey’ part of the equation. Leave yourself plenty of time to chill these brownies sufficiently before carefully cutting them into squares, or you’ll be left with a crumbly mess. A frighteningly delicious crumbly mess to be sure, but definitely not suitable for the Easter Bunny or a family full of official taste-testers.
Wishing you a joyous Easter if you celebrate, and a happy spring, either way!
Almond Fudge Brownies
6 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 tablespoons coffee
3 large eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder (Dutch process or unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups almond meal (also labeled almond flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Place the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, coffee, eggs, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
In another bowl, place the almond meal and baking powder. Use a whisk to distribute the baking powder throughout the almond meal.
Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Then stir in the Shredded coconut.
Place a piece of parchment paper in an eight-inch square pan. For easiest removal, cut two pieces of parchment paper to fit the pan exactly and lay them overlapping in the pan, one horizontal, and the other vertical.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to scrape every drop of batter into the pan.
Place the pan on the middle rack of your oven and bake for about thirty-five minutes, or until the top is set, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the brownies comes out almost clean.
Let the brownies cool for fifteen minutes in the pan.
Very carefully lift the flaps of the parchment paper up to remove the brownies from the pan. If the brownies buckle, let them cool a bit longer.
Place the brownies in the refrigerator for an hour.
Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the cooled brownies into two-inch squares.
Place the confectioners sugar in a fine mesh strainer. Hold the strainer over the brownies and tap it with a spoon to sprinkle the brownies with a pretty sugar topping.
This recipe will yield sixteen brownies.