Coconut-Caramel Brownies

I wanted a brownie that tasted like a certain coconut-and-chocolate Girl Scout cookie without that bland cookie getting in the way. At first, I wanted a gooey, melty caramel on top of these brownies, but on my first attempt, the caramel-coconut mixture cooked more than I had planned. But that slight crunch really hit the spot—an excellent textural contrast to the fudgy brownies. So I kept it that way.

Makes one 9-inch square pan of brownies (about 16 brownies)

45 minutes, plus cooling

INGREDIENTS

Great Bakes Martin Sorge

• 85 g (1 cup) shredded, unsweetened coconut

• 100 g ( ½ cup) sugar

• 120 g ( ½ cup) full-fat coconut milk

• 1 Tablespoon (15 g) coconut rum (optional but highly recommended)

• ¼ teaspoon (2 g) fine sea salt

• 1 teaspoon (4 g) Tahitian vanilla extract

• 1 recipe batter for Brownies (below)

• ½ teaspoon (1 g) flaky sea salt

Prepare. Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Butter a 9-inch square metal baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toast the coconut. Spread the coconut on a half-sheet pan. Bake the coconut until it smells toasty and looks dark blonde, 8–11 minutes, then set the pan on a cooling rack while you make the caramel. Turn the oven up to 350°F.

Make the caramel. Add the sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, heat up the coconut milk until hot and steamy; you can do this in a pan on the stove or, like I do, in a glass measuring cup in the microwave, for about 30 seconds.

Watch the sugar closely: When you see it starting to melt, which usually happens around the edges or in the middle, start to stir it slowly to encourage the rest of the sugar to melt. Keep stirring until the sugar is melted. Once the sugar is melted, cook it until amber-colored—a bit darker than a copper penny—then take the pan off of the heat.

Slowly add the hot coconut milk, about ¼ cup at a time. Stand back because it will sputter and spit. Stir it well between each addition. Once you’ve added the coconut milk, turn the heat back to medium, add the coconut rum (if using) and fine sea salt, and bring to a boil. The caramel may harden and stick, but keep stirring and it should dissolve. Cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until the caramel reaches 240°F on an instant-read or candy thermometer.

Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the toasted coconut and stir it through. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined sheet pan and spread it out into a thin layer, about 8 inches square. Let it cool completely.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.

Top the brownie batter with the coconut caramel. Rub a bit of vegetable or olive oil on your fingers, peel off bits of the coconut-caramel mixture, and scatter them on top of the brownie batter. It should almost cover the whole pan. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.

Bake. The hot brownies should be puffed up and shiny, but they won’t be firm. They may wobble when you shake the pan, but they shouldn’t wave like the ocean. They should be about 180°–190°F, but no more. In my oven, these usually take 22–24 minutes. After taking them out of the oven, hold the pan about 6 inches above the counter and drop it. Repeat 3 times for the fudgiest brownies.

Let the brownies cool completely; they’ll shrink a bit as they cool. For the cleanest slices, put the brownies in the refrigerator before cutting, then let them reach room temperature before serving.

These last, stored in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Brownies

Makes one 9-inch square pan of brownies (about 16 brownies)

45 minutes, plus cooling

Legend claims these mahogany squares were invented at Chicago’s Palmer House hotel, so I dub them a quintessential Midwestern bake.

We all need a brownie recipe. My recipe is done in one pot and requires no machine, fussy melting of chocolate, or whipping of eggs. I use whole-grain rye flour in these, so the brownies stay a bit gooier and more unctuous while not being a solid mass of fudge. Always use good-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder—it takes these from lovely to lusty.

I always fancify my brownies somehow, so I’ve offered my favorite ways to do that. There are infinite options for nuts, berries, swirls, and crunch.

• 170 g ( ¾ cup) butter

• 300 g (1 ½ cups) sugar

• 1 Tablespoon (15 g) bourbon, rum, or water

• 84 g (1 cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

• ¾ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine sea salt

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

• 1 Tablespoon (15 g) vanilla extract

• 160 g (1 cup) semisweet or dark chocolate chips

• 105 g (1 cup) dark rye flour

• ½ teaspoon (1 g) flaky sea salt

Prepare. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Butter a 9-inch square metal baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Make the batter. In a medium saucepan, add the butter, sugar, and bourbon. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula. Once the butter is melted, stir the mixture until it is hot, about 120°F (not much more), and looks shiny. This step dissolves some of the sugar, which gives the top its shine. Turn off the heat.

Add the cocoa powder, baking powder, fine sea salt, beaten eggs, and vanilla to the pan and whisk into the hot butter mixture until smooth, at least 30 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and flour, then whisk until you don’t see any lumps of flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the pan with a spatula to catch any errant bits of unmixed dough. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread it evenly, and sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.

Bake. It’s tricky to tell when brownies are done. I try to hit that perfect fudgy brownie, which is somewhere between goopy and overbaked. The hot brownies should be puffed up and shiny, but they won’t be firm. They may wobble when you shake the pan, but they shouldn’t wave like the ocean. They should be about 180°–190°F, but no more. In my oven, these usually take 22–24 minutes.

After taking them out of the oven, hold the pan about 6 inches above the counter and drop it. Repeat 3 times for the fudgiest brownies.

Let the brownies cool completely; they’ll sink a bit as they cool. For the cleanest slices, put the brownies in the refrigerator to fully chill before cutting, then let them reach room temperature before serving. I’m known to zap brownies in the microwave for a few seconds before noshing.

These last, stored in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Reprinted with permission from Great Bakes by Martin Sorge, Agate, August 2026.

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