Bounty Bar Coconut Brownie

Another day, another Pinterest idea put to the test! This time it was a recipe called Mounds Brownies. I don’t really know what a Mound is, but I assume it is some American chocolate company’s answer to the Bounty Bar, which has a milk chocolate shell and a soft, almost gooey coconut ice filling.

So obviously I wanted to make these.

Today was not my turn for our official work morning tea, but there was a gap in the roster so one of the assistants kind of said to me… you know… there’s nobody on morning tea, you know, in case you were thinking of making something.

What with two flavours of brioche rolls (including the inimitable bacon bourbon cinnamon roll), popcorn butterscotch rocky road and yeasted waffles (an upcoming post), I was actually not thinking of making something. But these coconut brownies have been beckoning for quite some time.

See – they beckon. That’s what they do.

Lets get this clear: these delicious piles of calories are super simple to make. The three components are one-bowl, hand-mixed wonders, and only one component gets cooked! Bake your brownie and make the coconut filling and the ganache while they are in the oven, then layer it all up and put it in the fridge. SIMPLE.

You want these. The first comment I got at morning tea was (after one bite) “can you please make these again”? Incidentally, don’t you love the light in our new office’s kitchen area? Perfect to reflect off a shinily ganached brownie.

Also, I can’t help thinking these would make the most wonderful cocktail party dessert bites.

Bounty Bar Coconut Brownies

makes 24 pieces (or about 48 bite sized bits)

Chocolate Chip Brownie

ingredients

250g unsalted butter
9 tbsp good quality cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips

mixing

Line a 20 x 30cm deep slab tin with baking paper a single sheet of baking paper (fold the edges of the paper up inside the tin like wrapping half of a present).

Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa, salt and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, flour and chocolate chips and stir the mixture until the flour has just disappeared and the mixture is just combined. Pour into the prepared tin.

Bake for 20 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius, or until just set in the centre. The brownie will still “whisper” quite a lot. Let the brownie cool until it starts to firm up (it need not be completely cold).  Top with spoonfuls of the Coconut Bounty Bar Filling; press down and smooth the top.

Pour the cool Ganache Topping over the filling and shake the pan gently to encourage the Ganache Topping to smooth out.

Refrigerate the brownies until set. To serve, lift the brownie out of the tin and peel off the baking paper. Cut into 24 even pieces.

Coconut Bounty Bar Filling

ingredients

4 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup icing sugar
395g tin sweetened condensed milk (rinsed out with 3 tbsp water)
1 tsp coconut essence, if desired

mixing

Combine the coconut and icing sugar and mix until well distributed.  Fold the sweetened condensed milk, rinsing water and coconut essence into the coconut until it is well combined and gooey (it needs a bit of elbow grease!).

Ganache Topping

ingredients

25omL whipping cream
250g dark chocolate (45% cocoa solids), chopped
50g unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt

mixing

Heat the cream in the microwave for about 50 seconds or until almost boiling. Stir in the chopped chocolate, and stir gently until the chocolate has all melted and the mixture is completely smooth (heat the mixture a little for 10 seconds in the microwave if needed and stir). Stir in the butter and salt until completely combined. Refrigerate the mixture until it is cool and has the consistency of liquid honey. If the mixture sets, warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave and stir until smooth.

There you go. A celebration of fudgy with chips, soft coconut fondant, and creamy chocolate. Nothing wrong with it!

Enjoy!xxx