Super fudgy chocolate coconut brownies with a strawberry cream cheese frosting are the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day.
I realize I’m a walking (typing?) contradiction right now. Two days ago I talk about quinoa salads, eating healthy and my newly found bodyrock obsession and today I throw a brownie in your face.
But seriously, what kind of person would I be if a Valentine’s Day recipe post didn’t involve chocolate?
Not someone I’d like to know…
So let’s just forget about this little blip in the sugar radar and go with it for the sake of the Hallmark holiday (which by the way, if you’ve ever gone to the drug store the night before V-day you can fully appreciate that saying…Holy freakin craziness).
As far as I’m concerned, brownie boxes shouldn’t even have the “cake-like” option on the back.
If you want cake, make cake not a brownie.
Brownies need to be fudgy with juuuust enough structure to barely hold them together in a square shape.
That’s exactly what these are.
These are also made with that chocolate coconut almond butter making them extra gooey on the inside. Any creamy almond will do though if you don’t want to make that for these chocolate coconut brownies. Don’t worry, you’ll still get lots of chocolate and coconut flavor!
Although, that’s not even the best part. That would be the fact that there’s no egg in these so you can totally go make out with the bowl and spatula afterwards.
Things may have gotten a little inappropriate at my kitchen sink when I attacked that spatula with more vigor than my husband has seen since our honeymoon I’d like to admit.
Even Mr. Not a Chocolate Fan himself enjoyed these. Although, he did say the coconut flakes looked like maggots and now I can’t stop thinking that when I look at these pictures.
The strawberry frosting is just icing on the cake brownie.
It’s delicious but not needed at all with the chocolaty, coco-nutty goodness going on, but it’s V-day and strawberries + red stuff seemed appropriate.
I wasn’t sure my day could get any better after the make out session with the spatula and eating two of these but then these glorious words were spoken…”we don’t have to see Twilight tomorrow, it is kind of a late showing and I have to get up early on Wednesday”.
Apparently, there is a God.
Love these chocolate coconut brownies?
Make sure to try this fudgy paleo skillet brownie and these superfood brownies too!
Or, if you want more chocolate and strawberry recipes, try this Chocolate Strawberry Bread Pudding or these simple but classic Sea Salt Chocolate Stuffed Strawberries.
Chocolate Coconut Brownies with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Brownies
- 1/4 cup chocolate coconut almond butter
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
For the Frosting
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 strawberries, diced
- 1/4-1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease an 8x8 baking dish liberally with butter.
- In a large bowl, beat the chocolate coconut almond butter, butter, coconut oil and sugar together with a hand mixer.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Slowly add in dry ingredients to the large bowl, folding together with a spatula.
- Add in milk and fold together until combined.
- Add shredded coconut and chocolate chips and fold together once more.
- Evenly spread batter into greased baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting.
For the Frosting
- Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract together with a hand held mixer in a medium bowl.
- In a separate small bowl mash strawberries until almost pureed (alternatively, you can use a food processor for this step)
- Pour strawberries into the bowl with the cream cheese and fold together.
- Slowly adding powdered sugar, continue to beat together with the mixer.
- Refrigerate while brownies are cooling.
- Spoon onto brownies before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
your blog is my favorite!!! a mix of my two favorite things- fitness and baking! i love it!
Thanks Katie!
Can you be my valentine? I swear I won’t ask you to see Twilight
I’d love to make these for my grandmother as she is allergic to eggs and hardly gets to eat sweets. However she doesn’t like coconut! How could I replace the coconut in this recipe? Thanks!
The shredded coconut at the end is optional so just leave that out. You could probably sub out another oil for the coconut oil. The chocolate coconut almond butter is basically just a nut butter so maybe nutella or some other chocolate based nut butter? Hope it works out!
Someone complained to me the other day that the brownies I made were TOO FUDGEY. I must have had a look of total disdain on my face when I responded, “well if I wanted them to be cakey I would have made cake” because he looked terrified and not at all inclined to argue with me. Then he brought in some brownies he made and when I tried them I just told him it was a good chocolate cake.
I will definitely be hoarding all of the corner pieces of these chocolate coconut brownies all for myself.
ha! Who says that?! (him, not you of course ;))
those are damn fine looking lovelies. I’d like one now.
please come take the extras from my house. They’re delicious but I really don’t want them in my face anymore and I can’t for the life of me throw food away!
I would be drooling over these, but then a giant cookie cake mysteriously showed up in the office kitchen and I sated my sweet tooth. For now.
Flash back: I used to eat strawberry cream cheese on top of my Eggo waffles before school waaaaay back in the day. Now I miss it!
OMG, can these come through my screen right now and plop in front of me with a big ol fork, and some vanilla ice cream?! SWOON!!!
Happy Love Day!
xxoo
Just the frosting alone…strawberries and cream cheese….oh yes, I love this combo! And chocolate, of course.
Happy Valentine’s Day!