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These coconut brownies combine thick, fudgy Chocolate layers with a soft, creamy coconut filling for a candy-bar-inspired dessert. They look a little fancy when Sliced, but come together with simple bowls, a whisk, melted butter, and an 8-by-8 pan. You’re going to love how rich, gooey, and easy they are.
Why You’ll Love It
- No mixer needed — just bowls, a whisk, melted butter, and an 8-by-8 pan.
- Fudgy chocolate layers — soft brownie batter is packed with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Creamy coconut center — sweetened condensed milk keeps the filling soft, sweet, and gooey around the edges.
- Keeps well — these brownies stay good at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Ingredient Notes
Use regular unsweetened cocoa powder here, not Dutch-process. I generally grab Hershey’s.
The butter should be melted and allowed to cool a little before it hits the eggs. Not ice-cold, obviously, but if it’s sizzling hot, you may wind up with tiny bits of scrambled egg in your brownie batter. Ask me how I know. Actually, don’t. It was one of those afternoons when the phone rang, the dog barked at a leaf, and I was trying to locate a permission slip.
Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips are best because they distribute nicely through the batter. You can use regular chips if that’s what you have, but I would stick with semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Milk chocolate gets awfully sweet with the coconut filling, and it can scorch a bit around the edges.
For the filling, sweetened coconut flakes give you that classic candy-bar flavor. Unsweetened coconut will work if that’s your preference, but the brownies will be less sweet and a little more—well, coconut-forward. Which is not a bad thing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled a bit
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the coconut filling:
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough hanging over the sides that you can lift the brownies out later. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray. Yes, even the parchment. Coconut filling has its own agenda sometimes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the flour, the cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Give it a decent whisk so you don’t wind up with cocoa powder lumps. I used to skip this kind of thing because I was in a hurry, and then somebody would bite into a dry little pocket of cocoa. Nothing ruins a nice dessert faster than a surprise dust storm.
In a small bowl, stir the mini chocolate chips with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour. This little bit of flour helps keep the chips from sinking straight to the bottom. Is it absolutely life-changing? No. Does it help? It does, and I’m at an age where I appreciate a small helpful thing.
In another medium bowl, whisk the sugar, melted butter, eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until combined. Make sure that butter has cooled down some first. Then add the wet mixture to the flour-and-cocoa mixture. Stir just until the batter comes together—don’t beat it half to death. Fold in the floured chocolate chips.
Spread about half the brownie batter into the prepared pan. It will be thick, and you may need to nudge it around with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. I usually use a small rubber spatula.
In a small bowl, stir together the coconut flakes, sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. The mixture should be thick and sticky. Scoop it over the brownie layer and gently spread it into an even layer, getting fairly close to the edges.
Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the coconut layer, then gently spread it out. Don’t panic if it doesn’t cover every inch beautifully at first. It’s a stubborn batter, and the coconut wants to pull up with it. Just work slowly. A few little swirls of coconut peeking through are not a tragedy. They are homemade-looking, which is a nicer phrase for it.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking around 35 minutes because ovens are liars. Mine runs hot on the right side.
Let the brownies cool completely before slicing. Completely. I mean it. The filling needs time to set up, and cutting them warm will turn your neat squares into a delicious but messy landslide. I know warm brownies are tempting. Go watch half an episode of something and come back.
Variations
If you want to dress these up, a little chocolate ganache or chocolate Frosting over the cooled brownies is lovely, though they really don’t need it. Caramel sauce is also good—almost too good, frankly. A dusting of powdered sugar makes them look nice if you’re taking them along, and vanilla ice cream beside a warm-ish square is hard to argue with.
Storage & Reheating
Keep leftover coconut brownies covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. They’ll stay good at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to five days.
If you want one warm, microwave a square for just a few seconds—not too long, maybe 10 to 15 seconds depending on your microwave. The coconut layer gets soft and lovely again, especially with ice cream. Just don’t heat it until it becomes molten lava. I did that once, and the filling took the skin off the roof of my mouth. Very glamorous.
Final Notes
Make these when you need a chocolate fix, or when you’ve got coconut lovers coming over, or when the day has been a complete pain in the neck and you’d like a square of something fudgy after dinner. Cut them small if you’re being sensible. Cut them big if you’re not.
Coconut Brownies
Ingredients Â
- 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour divided
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder regular, not Dutch-process
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted and cooled a bit
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
InstructionsÂ
- Heat the oven to 350°F, line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides, and spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the flour, the cocoa powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until well combined and free of cocoa lumps.
- In a small bowl, stir the mini chocolate chips with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour to help keep the chips from sinking.
- In another medium bowl, whisk the sugar, melted and slightly cooled butter, eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until combined, then add to the flour-and-cocoa mixture and stir just until the batter comes together.
- Fold the floured chocolate chips into the brownie batter.
- Spread about half of the thick brownie batter into the prepared pan, nudging it evenly with an offset spatula, spoon, or small rubber spatula.
- In a small bowl, stir together the coconut flakes, sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until thick and sticky.
- Scoop the coconut mixture over the brownie layer and gently spread it into an even layer, getting fairly close to the edges.
- Dollop the remaining brownie batter over the coconut layer and gently spread it out, working slowly if the coconut pulls up a bit.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, starting to check around 35 minutes.
- Let the brownies cool completely before slicing so the coconut filling has time to set.