My Coconut Brownies are a delicious take on classic chocolate brownies. You’ll love the decadent chocolate you already know and love, stuffed with a chewy layer of coconut filling. You’ll have this treat in the oven in under 15 minutes.
Brownies are a favorite in our house. We frequently bake our oreo brownies, chocolate chip brownies, and even my walnut brownie recipe. What’s your favorite?
Why Coconut Brownies Work
Everyone loves my easy, fudgy brownies recipe, but the truth is that sometimes they’re a bit one-dimensional.
With this recipe, I wanted to mix up the texture and taste. To make things more exciting, I added a layer of chewy coconut filling, much like our easy coconut macaroons and coconut truffles.
- The perfect combo of textures. The chewy layer of coconut filling really makes the recipe. Why? It adds an exceptional contrast to the gooey brownie and its crisp edges.
- Quick prep. With less than 15 minutes of prep time, these coconut brownies will be filling your bellies within the hour.
- Gooey or cakey. You choose. You can decide how gooey or cakey you want the brownies to be. Simply adjust the baking time and achieve the ideal consistency. Or split your batch half-and-half.
If you love coconut, give our German chocolate brownies a try too. Topped with coconut pecan frosting for a decadent finish.
Love fudgy treats? This easy fudge pie recipe is like a brownie pie, and you don’t want to miss it! Or give our easy layered french silk brownies for a delicious treat.
Important Ingredients
- Sweetened Flaked Coconut – Shredded or flaked coconut adds a chewy texture to the filling.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – Don’t substitute it. Trust me! Sweetened condensed milk adds an incredible amount of depth and richness to the filling.
- Vanilla Extract – Our homemade vanilla extract is the perfect addition to today’s brownie.
- Chocolate Chips – I use semi-sweet chocolate morsels. But you can use any other chocolate you prefer.
- Granulated Sugar – Apart from adding sweetness, it makes the brownies moist.
- Eggs – This recipe calls for four large eggs, which make the brownie rich and fudgy.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – It adds a decadent chocolate flavor to the brownies without adding extra sweetness.
- Kosher Salt – Salt nicely balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor. We wrote a whole guide on “what is kosher salt.”
- Baking Powder – This helps the brownies rise a little and get some height.
- Powdered Sugar – To sprinkle before serving.
How to Make Coconut Brownies
Make the brownie batter.
- In a bowl, mix melted butter, sugar, and chocolate chips. Then add the eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Now add all the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Pour half the brownie batter into a prepped baking tin.
Coconut Filling.
- Combine the ingredient for the filling until completely blended.
Assemble.
- Add the coconut filling on top of the first half of the brownie batter, followed by the remaining brownie batter.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Cool completely, and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
Recipe FAQs
Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also portion and freeze them in a Ziploc freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Then you can thaw the brownies overnight on the kitchen counter.
Yes. It is essential to cool the brownies completely before cutting them. Chill them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to speed up the cooling process. Chilled brownies taste denser and fudgier than room-temperature brownies.
Ideally, bake the brownies in a 9-inch square baking dish. A smaller 8-inch baking dish will no be big enough for these thick brownies.
Absolutely. This brownie recipe can make thick and gooey brownies or fully cooked cake-like ones. Bake them in the oven for 40 minutes to make them gooey and thick. To cook them all the way through, keep them in the oven for 45-50 minutes. I bake them for exactly 45 minutes, so they’re gooey yet baked all the way through.
More Easy Desserts
- Slutty Brownie Recipe
- Scotcheroos Recipe
- Toll House Cookie Recipe
- Chocolate Covered Oreos
- Ding Dong Cake
- Baked Chocolate Donuts
Best Brownie and Bar Recipes
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Coconut Brownies
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 4 cups sweetened flaked (or shredded) coconut, packed
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Brownies
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- For the filling, combine packed coconut with condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until blended. Set aside.
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in chocolate chips and sugar.
- Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add in eggs, one at a time, stirring completely after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
- Add the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Using big strokes, stir in JUST until mixed and no longer see dry ingredients. DO NOT BEAT OR OVER STIR.
- Pour half the batter into dish. Top with coconut mixture, spreading it to the sides. Add the remaining brownie batter on top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before cutting.
Notes
- DO NOT OVER STIR. When you add in the dry ingredients, use slow but big stirs to incorporate the dry into the wet. Just when you see no more dry, STOP STIRRING!
- Want to eat them sooner? Chill them in the refrigerator so they are easier to cut. These also taste delicious chilled!
- STORAGE: Store brownies in airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Line the baking dish. Make sure you line the baking tin with parchment. It makes cleanup easier, and you can lift the cooled brownies right out of the pan to cut them.
- Use a plastic knife to cut the brownies. It helps cut neater pieces of brownies as the crumbs don’t stick to a plastic knife as they do on regular steel knives.
- Cool completely before cutting. To cut neat pieces with clean edges, make sure you wait for the brownie to cool down completely. If you’re not worried about cutting neat pieces, then you can dig in while it’s still warm.
- Make a delicious brownie sundae. Coconut Brownies pair really well with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and chocolate syrup. Or you can use them as a base for this drool-worthy Brownie Ice Cream Cake.
- Do not use a smaller 8-inch square dish for this recipe. These brownies are THICK. You will want the 9-inch dish.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Is it desiccated coconut or fresh coconut flakes scraped off a coconut?
Store bought shredded coconut.