This past Valentine’s Day something EPIC occurred. Adam {my now fiance} decided he was going to cook ME dinner. This was a first in our household, as I typically am the chef in the kitchen. I was nervous, and pretty sure the night was going to end with a large pizza, but I was wrong. He managed to whip up the most delicious meal, and to top it off, he made dessert! I thought the dessert portion was the bravest of them all! I am a tough critic, but apparently all of the time he has spent watching me in the kitchen has rubbed off. I was actually blown away by this dessert that I decided it was worthy of  a Cakery Friday.

The recipe was taken from The New York Times.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl whisk together 1/3 cup of cocoa powder and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of boiling water until smooth. Add 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate that has been finely chopped and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Whisk in 3/4 cup of olive oil. Add in 2 large eggs, 2 large yolks and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and continue to whisk until combined. Add in 2 1/2 cups of sugar, whisk until fully incorporated. Using a spatula fold in 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Finally fold in 2 1/2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth over with a spatula. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded coconut over the top. Pour in the remaining batter and smooth. Top with remaining 1 cup of shredded coconut. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Bake for 25-30 minutes until set. A toothpick test will not work on these brownies as they continue to set when they cool. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before cutting them into 2-inch squares.

Thank you for the scruptious meal…. but now that I know you can cook….

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe click here: Olive Oil and Coconut Brownies adapted from The New York Times

xoxo,

Ali