Novelty is fun. It reels you in with the promise of something new and exciting, dazzles you for a time (however long or short), then gently fades to an afterthought, until one day it unexpectedly strikes again. That’s the story behind these coconut almonds that found a new lease on life in this brownie recipe. It’s the tale as old as time: girl finds something cool and new at Costco, girl enjoys it to pieces for a while, girl forgets about it, then girl later unearths it in the kitchen somewhere and obsesses over how to make it new and enjoyable again. I love coconut and I really enjoyed these almonds before I stashed them away in the freezer since I was the only one eating them. It finally occurred to me to put them to better use by baking them into something no one could turn down. It’s hard to deny a classic brownie, so here we are.
This classic no-nonsense brownie recipe gets a little jazzed up with some very sensible add-ins: the novelty coconut almonds covered in dark chocolate and a healthy sprinkle of shredded coconut for good measure. While nuts of all kinds can be a controversial addition and coconut is usually love or hate, having the perfect chewy/crispy brownie as the base makes this variation a sure bet crowd-pleaser. The proportion of the nut/coconut combo is just enough to add a little something extra without detracting from the star that is the trusty brownie. Not a peep of fuss was made from either camp of nut nay-sayers or coconut can’t do-ers. As far as experimenting goes, I’d consider that a successful trial with no error. If you really want to ham it up, feel free to be more heavy-handed with the nuts and coconut, or even splash in a little coconut extract.
