German Chocolate Brownies

When I'm feeling a little down, my first instinct is to bake.  More importantly, to bake chocolate.

I'm not a huge chocoholic, but chocolate definitely has it's time and place in my diet.  Especially brownies.  I love making different types of brownies from scratch.  This week definitely called for some homemade brownies.  This recipe was great because I just so happened to have everything I needed in the house... almost.  I was a little short on cocoa so I micro-planed in some unsweetened chocolate to top it off.

These did not let me down.  Even my coconut-hating coworker enjoyed them.  I left the rest in the kitchen of office when I left to go back to New Hampshire for a week and there definitely weren't any left when I got back!  This recipe is a KEEPER!

German Chocolate Brownies

from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen on Bluebonnets and Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies:

1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Topping: (adapted from Good Housekeeping Brownies)

2 egg whites

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

dash of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with foil and spray the foil thoroughly with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and cocoa powder, stirring until the cocoa powder is dissolved. Add the sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and stir only until you can no longer see flour in the batter. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter in prepared 8×8 pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with a wire whisk until foamy. Stir in coconut, pecans, brown sugar, milk, vanilla and salt until well combined. Spread topping evenly over batter.

Bake brownies for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs stuck to it.

Cool brownies on a wire rack to room temperature, then peel off the foil, cut and serve.