Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day!  I know we did.

We had my dad and stepmom over for a cookout last night, and Saturday night we went to my in-laws for a barbecue.

My mother-in-law made a fabulous summer feast.... and all I had to do was bring a dessert!

Since my father-in-law loves chocolate and coconut, I decided to make something that's been on my Pinterest to-make list for a while- black-bottom coconut bars.

Everyone seemed to enjoy them.  As Mr. Vittles put it... it's basically "a brownie with coconut on top," but my mother-in-law pointed out that they were "a little more sophisticated than that."  Which is true - it's more like a brownie with a macaroon on top.

My brother-in-law, on the other hand, just liked saying the name.

Whatever floats your boat!


Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Chocolate Base

• 1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 C. sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 C.unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 C. all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/3 C. dark chocolate chips

For Coconut Topping

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 C. sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 C. all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 7-oz. package sweetened, shredded coconut, 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling

For chocolate base: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; grease bottom and sides of foil (not overhang).

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. Mix in chocolate chips, and spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, about 10 to 12 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.

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).

Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers or buttered spatula. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 23 to 28 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 16 bars.

Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart, dicovered on Gonna Want Seconds