Coconut Macaroon Brownies
Saturday is the first night of Passover. As a Jew, Passover is always one of the hardest holidays to celebrate. A lot of people think it’s Yom Kippur because of the day of fasting. But not eating for 24 hours is pretty easy in comparison with regulating what you can and can’t eat during the eight days of Passover.
Okay, lesson time. When the Jews escaped Egypt they packed up everything they could possibly carry. But they also packed up food and water because they didn’t know how long they’d be hiking through the desert. (It was 40 years.) Unfortunately because they were rushing to get out before the Pharoh changed his mind, they didn’t have enough time to let the bread rise. That flat bread means Jews today eat unleavened bread for the eight days of Passover. But it also means we can’t have anything made with wheat (unless it’s the kosher for Passover matzah). Along with no wheat, comes no oats, barley, rice, corn or spelt. You also shouldn’t be eating any pork or shellfish during Passover as those aren’t Kosher any time of the year. So, you can understand why trying to create recipes for the holiday can be a bit challenging.
A lot of recipes for the holiday are made with nut flours which helps… unless you have a nut allergy. Then all those luscious almond cakes are totally worthless. Luckily there are still a few options: anything made with meringue like a pavlova or my family’s chocolate and lemon mousse pies. There’s also the classic macaroon, puddings, panna cottas and sponge cake made with matzah meal cake mix, but those have never really excited me. Luckily, Jake Cohen just released his Jew-ish cookbook and inside was the most amazing recipe. A recipe that may just be my new favorite Passover dessert.
How is a brownie kosher for Passover? When it uses coconut flour instead of regular all purpose wheat flour. That’s right, Cohen took two of my favorite desserts, combined them and made them Kosher for Passover by changing one ingredient. He tossed the common all purpose flour we love and replaced it with coconut flour. And while making a gluten-free brownie would have absolutely been enough, Cohen didn’t stop there. He decided to up the decadence and top that brownie with a thick layer of coconut. What you end up with is a Mounds Bar in brownie form, and it’s so good!
While Cohen’s recipe is delicious, it’s a little too sweet for me. See, I’m a dark chocolate girl. Any opportunity I have to choose between milk and dark chocolate, I always go for dark. It’s not as sweet and it just tastes decadent. So, I changed Cohen’s recipe slightly. While Cohen calls for semi-sweet and milk chocolate for his brownies, I used 70% chocolate bars, dark unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chips for mine. I also cut the sugar in half. Don’t worry, these brownies are still plenty sweet thanks to that macaroon top. In the end I had a decadent dessert that’s great for Passover but could easily be made any time of the year, especially if you happen to be gluten-free. I know I’m going to make them again. And again. And again… you get the idea.
Notes
Adapted from Jew-ish.
Ingredients
For the brownie layer
- 8 ounces dark chocolate bar, chopped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup bitter-sweet chocolate chips
For the macaroon layer
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Make the brownie layer
- Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, salt, and instant coffee together in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until smooth. Mix in the coconut flour until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- Spread it into an even layer and refrigerate 1 hour.
Make the macaroon layer
- While the brownie batter chills, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Beat egg whites on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. While the mixer runs, slowly add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating, gradually increasing the speed to high, until stiff peaks form.
- Add the coconut and beat on low speed until just combined. Spread the coconut mixture in an even layer on top of the chilled brownie batter.
- Bake until the brownies are just set and the top is golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Remove from pan, cut into 24 brownies, and serve.
