Chocolate Coconut Brownies — Like eating a Mounds candy bar that’s on top of rich, fudgy brownies!! Easy and oh so good!!
Ooey Gooey Brownies Recipe
I’ve made a lot of brownies in my day, but usually with mint, caramel, peanut butter, or Nutella. It was high time to break out the coconut.
These are some of the best brownies I’ve ever made, and definitely some of the richest. You’ve got to be a coconut fan to enjoy them because there’s plenty of it, but if you are, you’ll love them. They remind me of a Mounds candy bar.
The base is a dark 72% chocolate fudgy brownie topped with a coconut layer that’s sweet and full of texture. It’s made with sweetened condensed milk and shredded coconut, and topped with melted chocolate chips.
These coconut brownies are easy, made in one bowl without a mixer, and definitely a crowd-pleaser.
To say they’re rich and moist is an understatement. The brownie itself is fudgy, not at all cakey, and I used a new brownie base that I developed. No cocoa powder, all melted chocolate, with eggs and butter, a modest amount of sugar and flour, a splash of coffee and a pinch of espresso granules.
Baking with real butter that has the REAL® Seal is so important. There’s just no way to duplicate the rich depth of flavor butter lends to the brownies by using substitutes.
The same is true with the eggs and sweetened condensed milk, which helps ceate a soft and gooey filling that you can’t achieve without it. When you buy products with the REAL® Seal, you can trust that you are buying only products or foods made from cows milk produced in the U.S.
I purposely kept the sugar to a minimum in the brownie, and in conjunction with the 72% dark chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate chips, it all tempers the sweetness of the coconut layer.
It’s like biting into a Mounds bar perched on top of brownies. So good.
What’s in the Coconut Brownies?
To make these gooey coconut brownies, you’ll need:
- Dark chocolate
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Coffee
- Instant espresso granules
- All-purpose flour
- Sweetened shredded coconut flakes
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Chocolate chips
How to Make Coconut Brownies
In a large bowl, combine the butter and dark chocolate. Microwave until smooth and melted. Whisk in the eggs, sugar, vanilla, coffee, and espresso granules. Mix in the flour last.
Turn the batter into an 8×8-inch baking dish that’s been lined with aluminum foil. Bake the brownies until they’re just set, but be careful not to over bake!
While the brownies are baking, stir together the sweetened shredded coconut and the sweetened condensed milk. Once the brownies have been in the oven for about 28 minutes, top with the coconut mixture. Then, sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips.
Return the brownies to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove the brownies from the oven and smooth out the chocolate chips. You’ll need to let the coconut brownies cool completely before serving.
Do I Have to Use Instant Espresso Granules?
Neither the coffee or espresso or the instant espresso granules make the brownies taste like coffee, and serve to intensify the chocolate flavor. However, you may omit if you’re concerned.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, I imagine you could double the ingredients and bake the brownies in a 9×13-inch pan without problem.
Tips for Making Gooey Brownies
You must line your pan with aluminum foil before beginning or you’ll have a huge mess to deal with. Between the fudgy brownies and the gooey, drippy, sweetened condensed milk, you’d have to chisel them out of the pan.
Line with foil so you can simply lift the whole slab out, and cleanup is a breeze. I don’t trust parchment for recipes like this because you can’t make tight corner seals like you can with foil.
After making the ooey gooey brownies, you must let them cool for a few hours, but overnight is better. We all want to dig right into warm brownies that makes your house smell like a chocolate, but that would be a big messy mistake. The chocolate top layer is a glistening slick until it has time to set up, and the coconut layer is creamy and loose, and needs time to firm up.
The brownies are messy to slice, there’s no way around it. But the longer you let them cool, the easier it is.
Pin This Recipe
Chocolate Coconut Mounds Bar Brownies
These coconut brownies are like eating a Mounds candy bar that's on top of rich, fudgy brownies!! Easy and oh so good!!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used TJ’s 72% Pound Plus bar)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coffee (leftover from the morning brew is fine), optional but recommended
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules, optional but recommended
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes, loosely packed
- one 12-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside. It’s mandatory to line your pan or you’ll never get the brownies out.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the dark chocolate, butter, and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute. Stop to check and stir. Reheat in 15-second bursts until mixture can be stirred smooth.
- Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, optional coffee, optional espresso granules, and whisk until smooth. Coffee and espresso don’t make the brownies taste like coffee; they enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and bake until brownies are just set and done, about 28 minutes in my oven. Start checking at 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Don’t overbake because brownies go back into the oven after they’re topped with coconut.
- While brownies are baking, in a large bowl (the same one you used for the brownies is fine, just wipe it clean with a paper towel) combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and toss to coat evenly; set aside until brownies come out of oven.
- When brownies are done and removed from the oven, evenly top with the coconut mixture. Smooth the top lightly with a spatula, pushing mixture gentle into all corners.
- Evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Return pan to oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and using a spatula, lightly smooth the chocolate chips. They will be have softened enough to smooth out when pressed lightly with a spatula.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool, undisturbed, for at least 2 to 3 hours, or until top chocolate layer has set; allowing to cool overnight is best.
- When ready to serve, lift brownies of pan using foil overhang, place on a large cutting board, and slice with your biggest and sharpest knife. Slicing is messy, but the longer brownies cool, the easier and less messy it is.
Notes
Brownies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 3gSugar: 46gProtein: 5g
More Fudgy Brownie Recipes:
ALL OF MY EASY BROWNIE RECIPES!
The Best German Chocolate Brownies — Dense, rich, fudgy brownies topped with a coconut and pecan frosting that’s sweet and full of texture from shredded coconut and pecans.
Loaded Seven Layer Brownies – The softest, fudgiest, and BEST brownies topped with coconut chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, M&Ms, and more!! You will never want to cheat on these INCREDIBLE brownies after trying them!!
The Best Fudgy Sea Salt Brownies — Only 7 ingredients in these EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer brownies that are MY NEW FAVORITE BROWNIES!! Super fudgy, slightly chewy edges, crackly top, and ultra dark chocolate paired with sea salt for the HOLY GRAIL of brownies!!
Loaded Oreo Cream Cheese Brownies — If you’re looking for an over-the-top decadent brownie recipe, look no further. Ultra fudgy, rich brownies are topped with a layer of cream cheese spiked with white chocolate chips, before sprinkling Oreos and semi-sweet chocolate chips on top!
The Best Turtle Brownies — Super fudgy brownies and loaded with chocolate, pecans and caramel! An easy, no-mixer recipe that can be made with homemade or store-bought caramel sauce!
Chocolate Chip Brownies — Thick, rich, and a chocolate lover’s dream!! Fudgy in the center with chewy edges and studded with chocolate chips!
Andes Mint Brownies — The brownies have a box of 28 Andes diced and stirred into the batter, and another box of 28 mints that are diced on top. If you like mint, you’re going love these!
This post is brought to you by Real Dairy. Look for products with the REAL® Seal. Recipe and all opinions expressed are my own.
No changes to recipe. Best butter and chocolate 72% and Costco chips. Professional stove and oven. Senior male who bakes weekly and sometimes more. Baked , it was a bit oily. Coconut frosting too moist Metric measure might help with amount of coconut in milk, And for sure, the picture is not just 1 and 1 /2 cups chocolate chips melted on top. One and half cups in 8 inch pan would not be that smooth or that thick and with the moisture content of coconut they tend to sink in when trying to smooth and at 5 minute on top of cold coconut frosting the bottom of chips are barely warm. I suspect it was staged with a ganache, poured on with a few random un melted chips thrown. A coconut frosting on brownie with a chocolate frosting is great idea. I would bake with a better brownie, frost with coconut frosting, chill and frost with a simple ganache.
Thanks for trying the recipe. There were no special tricks used, everything I did is listed as-is, as it was done, in the recipe. I did make this originally nearly 8 years ago for the first time and remember them being great brownies although yes they are juicy and moist from all the rich ingredients in them.
I make something similar, just put the coconut mix on the bottom, tho wth brownie mix, bake, invert, cover with melted choc, cool. That way the coconut layer isn’t so raw.
Could you use parchment paper instead of tin foil?
Yes – I just prefer foil because I can get a really tight seal in the corners.
Loved these brownies – the base was so simple and fudgy and the mounds bar topping was amazing! Next time I might mix some regular milk in with the sweetened condensed to cut the sweetness, but it was amazing. My chocolate top liked to slide off the bottom when eating (not sure if I could press down more when smoothing them out), but if eaten over a plate, the mess was minimal. As you can tell from all my comments, I’ve made 3 of your brownie/bar recipes in the last few weeks and love them all, I can’t wait to try another one – I am limiting myself though or I would make and eat them all now! I also used gluten free flour and they turned out great, I highly recommend this recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you even with GF flour! Thanks for trying so m any of my recipes recently and glad you’re loving them all!
Hi Averie
I was wondering if the chocolate on top get hard (like a Hersey bar).
Yes it does (if you use baking chocolate it will get more firm than if you use chocolate chips and have more of a ‘snap’…some people like that, others don’t). If you want it to be more soft, add about 1 tbsp milk or cream mixed in with the choc as you’re melting it.
Will def make again! It’s an amazing brownie base
That’s wonderful to hear and so glad you’ll make again! I love this base, too! Never lets me down!
These are heavenly and sooooooo rich , my only change is I would half the sweetened condensed milk. The chocolate was so fudgy and dense I didn’t need
A lot of extra sweetness. I will definitely make these again!
I know, these things are like a candy bar, and then some! And yes, sweet, rich, and oh so…rich :) Glad you’ll make them again!
Averie,
Everything on this page looks scrumptious. I’m not a fan of coconut, but I must try these.
Hello from SPAIN!! Congrats for your recipes, webpage and book! And thanks for sharing these delicious recipes.
I have a DOUBT. What is the measure of you CUP?? could you pass this recipe in grams? Please?
Thank you!
Tatiana
I made these last night and they are heavenly. They will definitely be added to my list of favorite recipes….completely divine! Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks Shari and so glad you loved them and they make it into your favorites list!
This is masterpiece! Seriously makes me droll! ;))
O.M.G. BEST brownies EVER!! My brother emailed me this recipe because he and I both love Mounds candy bars. Well- this is an easy recipe, so I made them. Good thing I wrapped them up and gave them to my brother because WoW these are so delicious!! Very rich- very delicious…and most definitely taste like a Mounds candy bar. LOVE this recipe.
Thanks for trying them and glad you think they’re the best brownies ever! And yes, I had to bring these things to a party as well and re-home them immediately too :)
High time indeed! I love coconut and chocolate together and all of that on top of a brownie…HEAVEN! Pinned and shared on FB :)
Trish you’re so sweet! Thanks for the pin and the share :)
SO GOOEY, I can barely take it! I love me some Mounds bars/Almond Joys. These are perfection with the sc milk soak.
I’m a recent coconut convert so just looking at your photos is making me swoon, Averie. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Every element in these bars is perfection. I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait for these to firm up before digging in! It’ll take all of my will power ;)
Oh. em. geeee!! These look absolutely amazing!!! Seriously, I want a pan full of these right noooow!! :) (Can you tell how much I love these??)
They kind of remind me of something you’d make actually! Glad you’re excited :)
This looks perfect, even if it’s a tad bit messy ;) I love the combination, and this reminds me so much of my mother ^.^ she just loves coconut!
I just adore coconut :) these look divine!
I love making your recipes right when you post them because then I am guaranteed to have so many great recipes of yours under my chef’s belt, ready for the next one to come into my inbox! This one is no different. I made these babies last night and you are right, aluminum essential!, and put them in the fridge over night. I brought them to some friends who I made dinner for and these were their dessert. They called to tell me how awesome they were. Yay! So awesome and fun, Averie!
So glad you made them RIGHT away, as always :) And that they were rehomed to an appreciative home! Thanks for LMK that, Michele, and you’re amazing baking for your neighbors like this! And oh yes, foil, A MUST :)
Oh, my! If you have any leftover… :D
Oh my – letting these set overnight sounds like absolute torture!
Those look gorgeous & delicious. My boyfriend would go crazy for these…and his birthday is in two weeks :) !
These brownies are totally drool worthy!
Mounds and Almond Joys are my favorite (next to Snicker’s ;) It is that gooey factor that gets me. These brownies look beyond delicious!
Averie, these bars are oozing deliciousness. You’re right, more brownies need to be made with coconut. Pinned.
Oh my word – Mounds are my favorite, favorite candy! You could not have created a better brownie in my opinion. I am bowing to you right now! :-)
I want one! Pinned.
thanks!
Speechless. Oh my goodness. Dark chocolate and coconut is one of my favorite flavor combos ever and, well, this is just too perfect. Pinned and finding an excuse to make ASAP! :)
thanks for pinning!
Ahhh!!! your killing me! I didn’t even know this was possible!
These are over the top. I know these would be gone in 2 seconds flat. I’d have to make a double batch.
These look AWESOME!! Almond Joys are my mom’s ultimate favorite candy bar, so I definitely need to add almonds and whip these up for her. She’d love them (as would I). Pinned!! :)
Thanks for pinning!
Wow … I would definitely have to take these to please a crowd otherwise I’d be in terrible danger of giving myself a sugar overdose at home! They remind me of a chocolate bar we have in the UK called a Bounty. They look delicious!
Yes they are exactly Bounty bars! Read the first half dozen comments. A couple other intl readers wrote that, too! And yes, I brought these to a party. There was no WAY I could keep them around :)
Excuse me while I drool all over myself…
I’m sure these have zero calories, so I bet it would be fine to eat these for dessert–and a snack–and breakfast. At least that’s what my hubby would think. :)
That’s the exact logic I try to go with with all of my desserts :)
Yum! When I bought my mounds bar today I was thinking about finding a recipe that would come close to it. Thank you Averie Ican’t wait to make these super yummy bars!
No way! That’s amazing timing! Well if you try them, please LMK how it goes!
These are my dream brownies!! I love that they are oozing with coconut and fudgy brownies base?!? I mean just WOW! I do not even know what to say. Pinned of course!!
Thanks for pinning and I know you’re a coconut fan and these babies were so good. I had to get the out of the house, asap!
No words. I need to stop staring at your fabulous pictures! Just made the Carmelitas, and now I have to make these for company tomorrow. You are crazyyyyy talented! Thank you!
Omg from the Carmelitas to these. Talk about gooey, sticky, rich, drippy city going on for you. And that’s pretty much the best situation ever! Two days, two super gooey desserts. You’re going to love these. LMK if you end up making them & thanks for trying the Carmelitas! And thanks for the sweet compliment, too :)
Well…THEY…WE’RE…FABULOUS! So good in fact that I had to send them home with our guests or I honestly would have polished them off. I want to make everything you post. Thank you!
That is awesome that you loved them so much you had to re-home them. That’s a sign of success :) Thanks for trying this and my other recipes!
GOOD GRIEF Averie! These brownies are insane! I super love coconut and chocolate and I’ve seen other Mounds-inspired recipes but DANG. These take the cake. Or brownies. Or whatever. NEED.
Thanks, Heather, that’s awesome of you to say :)
Your description of the brownie itself was enough to make me swoon, let alone all of the sweet coconut and melted chocolate on top! My dad loves chocolate and coconut together — German chocolate cake is one of the flavors he always requests for his birthday! — and even though he’s on a diet right now, I KNOW he’d totally sneak one of your brownies. And then go hike an extra 8 miles to work it off. :)
You’re seriously a magician when it comes to baking decadent desserts, Averie. Everything you make looks absolutely amazing!
Thanks Amy :)
I haven’t had a mounds bar in forever but these brownies look incredible. Perfect way to get my coconut fix. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
These look amazing! I love your photography!
Thanks for the compliments!
Woah! These would have to be my favorite! I LOVE mounds bars!!!
Yes. 100000000x YES!!! These are amazing Averie. My favorites, I think!
Well that’s a big statement. I have new favorites of yours. Like every 2 weeks or so as the new recipes come out :)
OMG These look amazing. I absolutely LOVE almond joy and mounds bars.
Want these RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!!! I also love your photos :)
Thanks for the compliments!
I am drooling right now and just wishing I had one of these babies in front of me.
WOW!! Beautiful and fabulous!
Oh my gosssshhhh Averie these look amazing! I’m a coconut addict so I am all over these! They look so decadent and I love each and every layer. How, oh how, did you ever clean off your surface afterwards?? LOL.
Thank God it has a nice coat of vanish on it :)
Whoa, lady. These look fantastic!
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t! These look fantastic! I love the gooey coconut middle and the dark chocolate goodness.
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t! <-- LOL. Most times, no, unless it's pulverized into PB :)
Theses look so decadent and fudgy! I love the shots where you can see the sweetened condensed milk oozing from the bars!
Thanks for noticing those. God what a MESS these were. But so worth it :)
My daughter saw this post and said “Oh yeah!! Chocolate treats!!!!” And I’m just as excited as she is over theses— absolutely jaw dropping incredible Averie! LOVE and pinned!
Thanks for the high praise and the pin! :) Glad your daughter has good taste LOL.
Wow, these look so decadent! The layers look incredible! I haven’t had a Mounds bar in ages but this recipe reminds me of my younger days when I actually ate candy bars :)
Ha! I don’t ‘eat’ too many candy bars these days but baking with them is fair game :)
A coconut lover’s dream…oh wow!! Love the filling and I can imagine how good that brownie base is with melted chocolate. Very impressive..would definitely satisfy a choc-coconut craving and although I like mounds and almond joy, I know I’d like these more!
I know you’d love these! They’re like a real Mounds Bar, times ten :)
Chocolate + coconut is my favorite. I grew up being the only kid who liked Mounds and Almond Joy bars. This looks outstanding.
I used to love them too! I used to pick off the nut though on the AJ’s. Never was a big fan. LOL
These look pretty insane Avery! I’ve been trying to figure out what mounds bars are but in Canada they are likely Bounty, either way these look great!
Bounty, yes! Same as Mounds!
MOTHER OF PEARL. First off, when something has coconut? I’m on board. But then throw in some sweetened condensed milk? Don’t get me started.
Haven’t heard Mother of Pearl in awhile…thanks for that :)
MMM…. we call this candy bounty in Australia but I am sure where ever in the world you make these, it will taste divine!
Also Just want to give you a shout out to your vegan bread stick recipe; so inspired made it into buns shaped as fish for my blog today! Thank you for such a great recipe.
A Canadian reader just said their Mounds are Bounty, too. Sometimes I see Bounty for sale here in the US, and yep, same!
Really amazing :)