Fudgey brownies with a German Chocolate Cake Frosting and Samoa-like coconut and caramel layer! Bewilderment in a brownie!
Full recipe can be seen below!
My alternate name: Germanoa Fudgey Brownies
German Chocolate Cake Frosting
+ Samoa Cookie
+Fudge Brownie_________________________
Bewildered Brownie
Hmmm…..you may be asking yourself “did she have a plan?”
German Chocolate Cake? Samoas? Fudge?
Identity Crisis!
The title sounds as if I was truly confused as to what I was making… and the truth is I was! I set out to create the brownie form of a Samoa cookie but things don’t always turn out, right? Even though they weren’t what I planned, they are still delicious! So don’t judge the recipe by its baffling name; they are really very good!
Marry a decadent slice of German Chocolate Cake with that lovely golden coconut frosting with the light layer of caramel on a Samoa cookie and marry that with a fudgey brownie and voilà: Germanoa Fudgey Brownies!
Besides being confused these brownies are actually pretty simple to make for how much flavor you get.
So to start your bewildered brownies, toast your shredded coconut. There are a few ways to toast coconut. I think it is easier to toast coconut on the stove instead of in the oven because it is easier to watch if it is getting too toasty!
So throw the coconut into a large skillet on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Stir it pretty frequently to make sure it is not burning. When it burns, it burns quick so keep an eye on it! I know some people toast their coconut until it is nearly all brown, but I just toasted it to the point of lightly browned. Mine looked like this:
Cool the toasted coconut on a sheet of waxed paper so it doesn’t get soggy in a bowl.
To make the brownie part, melt your unsweetened chocolate in the microwave. Put the chocolate and butter in for 1 minute and then for 15 second intervals until completely melted, stirring after each interval.
Stir in your sugar. Then add 1 egg at a time until combined. Next add your vanilla and then stir in your baking powder and flour.
Pour 2/3 of the brownie batter into a greased 9 x 13 in. pan.
To prepare caramel, place your heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring pretty much constantly. Your caramel will look a light pale yellow but it’s okay the darker color that you are used to is added by the vanilla that will be added in later.
Cook the caramel until it reaches about 230°F. But don’t trust your candy thermometer! I have some trust issues with mine because it nearly never says what the recipe suggests. I would suggest timing it instead! This caramel recipe isn’t very finicky so a few degrees here or there won’t make a huge difference! I cooked mine for about 15 minutes. The caramel will start bubbling after about 5 minutes and continue for the rest of the time.
Remove the caramel from the stove and add the butter and vanilla.
Now put the pan of brownie batter in the oven and bake them at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the brownie layer is almost set. Remove them from the oven and dump the toasted coconut on top and spread it into an even layer.
Then pour the caramel in and spread it into an even layer. If your caramel has started to solidify, put it back on the stove for a few minutes until it loosens up but watch and stir it constantly. Then take the rest of your brownie batter and spread it over the caramel.
Do not worry if there is caramel showing it will give your brownies a nice marbled/swirled look!
Bake the brownies for another 18 minutes until the top is almost set. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Do not worry if the top layer of brownies is not completely firm. I put mine in the refrigerator for about an hour and they set up nicely and gave them that fudgey texture and flavor!
Another addition that I haven’t tried yet is to add in chopped pecans to make it more like a German Chocolate Cake. I would use maybe a cup and put them between the coconut and caramel layers.
…and voilà: Bewildered Brownies/Germanoa Fudgey Brownies!
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup salted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup flour
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Put the coconut in a large skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown, stirring pretty frequently to avoid burning it
- Cool on a sheet of waxed paper
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13 in. pan.
- Melt unsweetened chocolate and butter in the microwave by microwaving for 1 minute and then for 15 second intervals until completely melted, stirring after each interval
- Stir in granulated sugar
- Add 1 egg at a time until combined
- Add vanilla
- Stir in baking powder and flour
- Pour ⅔rds of the batter into the pan and set aside
- Place heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring pretty much constantly
- Cook for about 15 minutes or until about 230°F. The caramel will start bubbling after about 5 minutes and continue for the rest of the time.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter and stir until combined.
- Set aside
- Bake the first brownie layer for 20 minutes or until it is almost set
- Remove from oven and spread coconut into a layer on top
- Spread caramel into a layer on top of the coconut. If your caramel has started to solidify, put it back on the stove for a few minutes until it loosens up.
- Spread rest of the brownie batter over caramel
- Bake for another 18 minutes, until the top brownie layer is almost set in the middle and the edges are firm
- Cool completely
- Place pan in the refrigerator for about an hour to help them set up
- Voilà!
Altered from Teens Cook Desserts (Turtle Brownies)
I shared these brownies and received so many compliments! Everyone had a favorite flavor sensation ( Samoa cookie or German chocolate cake icing) and they remarked on the texture and moisture. Huge hit with the Bewildered Brownies!
That’s the best part of these brownies! They can be what you want them to: coconut frosting or Samoa cookies.