A Southern Grace: my muse?

April 23, 2012

my muse?

Yum


I feel like whenever I'm searching for a way to give whatever I happen to be baking an inspired twist, I turn to the Almond Joy. That kind of makes her my muse, right? I use the feminine pronoun because I've decided that an appropriate name for this muse must be Joya. Joya d'Almond.


Too silly? Nah. Regardless of what she's called, or if she's ever called anything at all, she does good work. This latest creation began as a simple batch of cream cheese brownies, but ended up as almond brownies with a coconut cream cheese swirl.

That's what I call gooey.

Lots of different textures (I used both shredded coconut and coconut extract to flavor the cream cheese filling) and lots of delicious flavors join forces to create a decadent and relatively easy and quick dessert!

Joya d'Almond Brownies
Brownies:
6 tablespoons butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almonds, sliced

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg yolk
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square pan with non-stick spray or grease lightly.
Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or over low heat, stirring until smooth. Beat in the sugar and eggs. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then add in the vanilla. Stir in the almonds. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and coconut extract until smooth. Stir in the shredded coconut. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set. Let cool, then cut the brownies into squares, rectangles, hearts, what-have-you.

38 comments:

Becki's Whole Life said...

Coconut and almond is definitely a favorite here, too. The ooey gooey texture here is perfect for something that tastes like a candy bar - yum!

cookies and cups said...

This sounds like the perfect brownie!!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Those look sinfully moist and delicious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Mel said...

Oh heavens, those brownies look divine! I can't believe how clean the edges look. They look downright fudgy and delicious. The Almond-Joy combo never gets old!

Bunny said...

I'm getting goosebumps thinking about the flavors in that little beauty Grace.

TKW said...

Oh, you devil! Almond Joys are my favorite chocolate candy!

Elizabeth said...

I love gooey brownies and bars, and these look incredible!

Kathy Walker said...

I whistle a happy tune when an Almond Joy is nearby! These look incredible!

Julie M. said...

Wow Grace. You've done it this time. That almost looks like fudge it's so moist! I think I'm in dessert heaven and I haven't even had a bite yet. :)

Pam said...

Almond Joy is my very favorite candy bar - E.V.E.R!

I am loving these babies... gooey and decadent. Using both shredded coconut & extract is brilliant!

Juliana said...

This is the kind of gooey that I love, creamy and very rich in flavor...chocolate, coconut and almond...perfect!
Have a great week Grace :)

Erica said...

I love coconut and this dessert sounds amazing and they look like a piece of heaven!!!

momto8 said...

this is perfection!! thank you!
I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.

Penny said...

So good. I am not always here because I love sweets, but they do not love me. But you are the best of the best. Good to connect.

Gloria Baker said...

mmmmm Grace these are to die for of course!

I Wilkerson said...

Sounds like a delicious combo. And way prettier than the candy bar!

pam said...

I need a muse. One that involves chocolate.

Joanne said...

All brownies are most certainly female. Because they're awesome. Obviously. :P Add coconut and they are EXTRA awesome. So...maybe they're female squared?

Faith said...

I'd say the Almond Joy makes a perfect muse! I love how gooey these bars are and the fact that there's texture from the coconut!

Blond Duck said...

The only time I've been depressed I'm allergic to chocolate.

Rosita Vargas said...

Una combinación muy rica mi querida Grace ...luce húmedo y tentador,abrazos hugs,hugs.

Carolyn Jung said...

This looks a million times better than the actual candy bar. Hmm, if only there were vending machines that dispensed THIS! ;)

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

You might disown me but I've never tried an Almond Joy. But now I feel like I must because you like them so much! :D

Anonymous said...

I have tried one almond joy while overseas and your delicious treat has given me a way of always keeping it arund - thisis an exquisite dessert which definitely requires you to eat more than a morsel ;)

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Marjie said...

That's my kind of muse and my kind of result!

Barbara said...

Definitely gooey! Love that you've added almonds to make it crunchy along with the coconut. Really genius, Grace. And no cinnamon in sight! :)

Vianney Rodriguez said...

Almond joy is one of my fav treat, this makes me super happy!! yummy!

~~louise~~ said...

Oooey, gooey and indescribably delicious! That's what I'm talking about! Almond Joys are a favorite of mine too! Even better than Mounds:)

Thanks for sharing, Grace...

Beth said...

What a delicious medley of flavors! You have a wonderful muse.

lisa is cooking said...

A cream cheese swirl brownie is a lovely thing, but transforming it a la almond joy is on a whole other order of magnitude. Love that filling!

vanillasugarblog said...

as much as i can, i make a lot of baked goods with coconut-cream cheese. i mean really its like heaven to me. and then throw in some salty, roasted almonds? hello!

Cara said...

It's totally in my plans to make an Almond Joy protein bar in the near future, so I guess we have the same muse!

Kerstin said...

Mmmm, I wish I was enjoying one of these right now! And now I'm craving an almond joy... :)

Angie's Recipes said...

Chocolate, coconut, almond, cream cheese...look at the listed droolworthy ingredients!

Anonymous said...

These tasty bars look absolutely delicious!

So bad for the waste & hips but ooh so tasty & heavenly for the mouth! ;)

foodhoe said...

mmm, I could lose myself in the chocolatey depths of that last photo, which looks close to fudge... So dense, I can see fingerprints!

Deborah said...

That is so much better than just a regular cream cheese brownie!

shaz said...

Oooh, very Joya-eous indeed :)