Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies
At some point I missed the memo on blondies. When did they become popular? They popped up on my radar sometime last year, and even then, I didn’t feel the urge to scurry off into the kitchen to whip them up. Slowly though, it seemed their popularity was picking up steam. I started to see a lot of different varieties on other blogs. I saw an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay when he tried to one-up the blondies by Sugardaddy’s. I still didn’t see what all the fuss was about, but I added them to my Top 100 list and figured I would give them a try one day. Lo and behold, that day finally came. Annie asked me if I wanted to bake something together being that it had been awhile since we made the Peanut Butter Torte, and these were one of her suggestions. Since I had been dragging my feet on trying them, I thought it was a good selection. I was even more convinced after I tried one – they taste very much like Girl Scout Samoas cookies!
For those that are as in the dark as I was, a blondie is basically a brownie minus the chocolate. While brownies have a common base of melted butter, granulated sugar and cocoa powder, blondies are created with melted butter and brown sugar. The result is a rich toffee-like flavor. Mixing the butter and brown sugar creates such a fabulous aroma that it will make you want to eat the batter by the spoonful. I’m not kidding. Be prepared to muster up some serious willpower. The flavors in these blondies are fabulous – the batter is rich, the coconut slightly sweet and adding a chewy texture, and the chocolate with the perfect amount of, well, chocolateness.
I was a huge fan of how the batter smelled when being mixed together, and loved the crisp, crackly, brownie-like top that the blondies had when they came out of the oven.
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Some notes on the recipe:
– I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips, which are larger than regular chips, so more like a “chunk”. Plus I like dark chocolate.
– You don’t need to break out a mixer – I made these with one bowl and a large spoon.
– To get clean cuts, use a bench scraper to cut straight down. No slicing or sawing with a knife, perfect edges.
– I am now a blondie convert.
1 year ago: Buttermilk Pancakes
2 years ago: Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) salt
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (85 g) sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips or chunks
Topping:
- 1 cup (180 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon butter
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
- 2. Combine the flour and salt; set aside.
- 3. Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.
- 4. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until blended, then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.
- 5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth even with a rubber spatula.
- 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. Do not overbake. Let the bars cool slightly before drizzling with chocolate, then cool completely before cutting into squares.
- 7. For the topping, combine the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle over the bars.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I was searching for a recipe for chocolate coconut blondies and I found your recipe… but on another food bloggers site, who then referenced the recipe from another food bloggers site… who lo and behold got their recipe from you!
Decided to go to the source and I’m glad I did, looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
Those were truly delicious. Do they store OK in the fridge?
Was surprised at first at the no baking soda or anything, but I guess it doesn’t need them! Yum.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Yes, you can keep them in the fridge if you’d like, just make sure they’re in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
Is there an option to print this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, at the top of the recipe box, just click on the “print” icon.
I made these on Sunday for an impromptu play date. Super fast and easy! I thought it was funny that the grown-ups very digging in as well:) These were a big hit!
Hi Michelle!
These are delicious! However, I ran into an issue that frequently happens, which is that the drizzled chocolate breaks and sticks to the knife when cutting the bars. Any suggestions for how to prevent this from happening? Thanks!
Hi Danielle, You could try cutting the bars with a pizza cutter (I use it to cut bars and brownies all the time) before the chocolate sets completely.
Hi. These looks delicious and I am going to make them for a friend’s large party. But I don’t have an 8 x 8 pan. If I want to use a 9 x 13 pan, how much would I need to increase the recipe, and would I bake it for the same amount of time?
Thanks!!
Hi Melissa, Double the recipe for a 9×13-inch pan. I would bake it the same amount of time, but be sure to check it for doneness.
I was searching for a chocolate coconut recipe for my aunt’s bday and ran across these bars. Mmmm….moist, chocolatey, coconutty goodness! :-) I toasted the coconut before adding it in the to the batter and instead of drizzling the melted chocolate, I spread it over the top and sprinkled more toasted coconut over it. Love your blog, Michelle!
hi michelle!
these blondies look absolutely divine. i’m definitely going to try them this weekend. is it possible to substitute the sweetened coconut flakes with fresh coconut flakes? also is it possible to make sweetened coconut flakes at home?
love,
pri
Hi Pri, I have never used fresh coconut in my baking, so I couldn’t say for sure if it would affect the outcome. If you use them, I would be sure to make sure they are patted dry and don’t have any excess moisture on them. As for making sweetened coconut flakes at home, I would imagine you could dry them out yourself, but not sure the best way to sweeten them.
These were OK, I could barely really taste the coconut and the amount of chocolate was overpowering. They also took forever to cook, 30 minutes wasn’t enough – they were still far too uncooked..
Can you imagine these cookies instead of chocolate chip you use peanut butter chocolate omg!
Haven’t licked a batter bowl clean since I was a kid- until now! Could not help myself, yum! And had no choc chips, so added m+ms instead!
Ok, thanks! I think I will try the baking powder. I think something went wrong with them though. They were more gooey than fudgy…nothing at all like your pics. Thanks again for your advice!
I made these today and they taste good but the middle seemed to not cook and be overly chewy even though I let it cook longer than specified. I followed the recipe exactly. Is there any way to make these a little more cakey and less like fudge? more flour maybe? Help please!
Hi CG, Well, blondies are intended to imitate the texture of brownies, which more often than not are fudgy and not cakey. More flour might just dry them out; you might want to experiment with baking powder and/or soda to give it more of a lift if you want a cake-like texture.
easy recipe and added butterscotch chips. that made them way too sweet.
yes the glass pans do dry the edges.
Thanks for the recipe–I can’t wait to try it out. Question: I have an 8×8 square glass dish and a 9×9 metal pan. Which do you think would work best with this recipe? I’ve read that glass pans can dry out the edges of brownies but I’m not sure if this is true. Any thoughts?
Hi sb, I do think that glass pans can dry out edges; I use metal pans for all of my baking. Hope that helps!
Without reviewing the comment guidlines first, let me say, OFF THE HOOK! These little things were fire! I did substitute these old half-crystalized toffee candies for the coconut, and after cooling, with glaze, they weren’t bad. The next morning, they were the best thing I had in a minute. Amazing what sum sit time can do for these, but wow, yeah man, wish I knew how to post the pics!
WOWWWW such a great recipe! chewy, rich, chocolatey deliciousness! loveeee it! THANKS :)
I love it when I find a recipe I want to make & have everything on hand! Just whipped these up & they were fab! For some reason, the smell of anything baking with coconut puts me in a holiday mood–these took me straight there. :) Thanks, Michelle!
You’re welcome Melissa! I’m so happy to hear you loved these!
Hi!
Made these last night and they turned out really yummy! :D
you might wanna check out my blog about it.
http://blissfulnibbles.blogspot.com/2010/10/coco-nips-blondies.html
thanks again! :D
They look great, love the M&M’s! Thank you for sharing!