almond joy brownies

When the chocolate monster attacks, none is spared. At least not in our house. Brownies are a dangerous, dangerous thing to make here because unless they are being delivered to a potluck or given to friends, they will be gone in two days or less with only our two mouths to blame.

These brownies came to me in a vision. Okay, maybe a fit of despair when I was in the middle of baking and realized we were out of vanilla extract. And I call myself a baker! Shame on me! Perusing my cupboards and imagining what I might do to get myself out of this sticky situation, my eyes fell on the almond extract. Of course! Almond and chocolate is a perfect combo! Only one thing was lacking: coconut. Which, naturally, I keep in my pantry just in case. Who doesn't?

Thus almond joy brownies were born. I'm sure I'm not the first to discover that a toasted coconut and almond topping makes brownies so much better. But I'm willing to take the credit. Enjoy, my friends...

Almond Joy Brownies
{Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook}

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

topping:
1/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 Degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan (or a small rectangular pan) with foil then coat lightily with vegetable oil spray. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly.

2. Whisk the sugar, eggs, almond extract, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour until no streaks remain.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Top with coconut and almonds. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, before removing the brownies from the pan using the foil and cutting into squares.

Makes 9 large brownies. Keep in airtight container for up to 3 days (but let's be honest, brownies are best warm from the oven, so good luck keeping them around this long!).