KOKO SAMOA BROWNIES
Makes 16 brownies
• ½ cup unsalted butter — divided (half browned, half melted with chocolate)
• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 50g Koko Samoa, very finely grated
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp coconut extract
• 2 tbsp cold coconut cream
• Flaky sea salt — to finish
METHOD:
Toast the coconut. Spread shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes until deeply golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool completely. Pale golden coconut tastes mild. Dark golden coconut tastes like the islands.
Grate the Koko Samoa. Using a microplane, grate until almost powder-fine. Sift out any large pieces. Whole pieces won't melt evenly into the batter and will leave an unpleasant texture in the finished brownie.
Brown half the butter. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until deep golden brown bits form and the butter smells nutty — about 5-6 minutes. Pour immediately into a large heat-safe bowl and cool completely.
Melt chocolate and Koko Samoa. Combine remaining butter and chocolate morsels in a double boiler or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. Once smooth, stir in the finely grated Koko Samoa until fully incorporated. Cool to room temperature before using.
Preheat and prep your pan. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8x8 baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
Build the batter. Add the cooled chocolate and Koko Samoa mixture to the bowl with the brown butter. Add eggs, both sugars, vanilla extract, coconut extract and cold coconut cream. Whisk until just barely combined — don't overmix. Sift flour and salt directly over the wet ingredients, add toasted coconut and fold until just combined. A few streaks of flour are perfectly fine and preferable to an overmixed batter.
Bake. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter flaky sea salt generously across the surface. Bake at 325°F for 35-40 minutes. The toothpick test matters here: you want moist crumbs clinging to the pick, not wet batter, not a clean pick. Pull it early if you're unsure — these finish as they cool.
Cool and cut. Cool in the pan for at least 60 minutes at room temperature. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting. Cold brownies cut cleanly. Warm brownies don't. Lift out using the parchment overhang and cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife, wiping between cuts for clean edges.