Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

I have to admit that I absolutely adore Martha Stewart. Her recipes always turn out spectacular and her crafts are amazing! I made these black-bottom coconut bars and took them in to work and needless to say, I had none left. I did, however, get a request to make a whole pan for one of my coworkers - they were that good! The bars have a rich chocolate brownie base and are topped with a deliciously creamy coconut mix.


Yum-o! Look at that deliciously flaky coconut...and the mouthwatering brownie base...


Black-Bottom Coconut Bars from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
Chocolate Base
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

For Coconut Topping
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 package sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces), 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

Directions
1. For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.
4. For coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).
5. Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.
6. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.

*When baking the coconut topping, I kept checking the doneness because I was worried that I would overbake the brownie base but don't be worried because it was so moist that it could have handled an extra 5 minutes in the oven.

**I baked the coconut topping for 30 minutes but when I put a toothpick in, the dough was still a bit wet but I took it out anyway because I was worried about the coconut burning. After cooling, the coconut topping firmed up and was really creamy.

**To make this healthier, you can substitute the butter for applesauce instead. The results are still moist and result in delicious brownie heaven!