The BEST Cocoa Brownies

These are DEFINITELY the best brownies I have ever had. And I will say that again without hesitation- The BEST. They are so dense and fudge-y that you cannot stop thinking about them if you know they are in your kitchen. My mom, brother, sister, and I finished a double batch in about 2 days, and fought over the last one, which we cut up into 4 cubes to share. I am not one to exaggerate, but you must try this recipe. I found the recipe here on smitten kitchen. No need to retype it.

One quick tip that she addresses
is to put your brownies into
the fridge to chill before slicing, this way you get a really lovely cut. Asking the Wooten family to wait for a pan of brownies to cool is a ridiculous idea. I cut up some of them, and here is what they looked like. Even if they aren't the prettiest, warm brownies are the best brownies. Even better with some ice cream. Another tip is to line your dish with aluminum foil so that you have "handles" to lift out your brownies. This facilitates a really easy cleanup and, with an extra long knife, easy slicing.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars

This photo really doesn't do these justice. Imagine a gooey cookie bursting with melted chocolate and bits of moist coconut. Best part: they are so, so easy. None of that boring scooping that you have to do with cookies. This is adapted from the original, the best chocolate chip cookie- Nestle, of course. You should memorize this recipe by heart.

You'll need:

• 2 1/4 c all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks butter (room temp, softened)
• 3/4 c sugar
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 c chocolate chips (often, I use an entire 12 oz bag for extra chocolatey-ness)
  
• 1 c shredded coconut, sweetened

Preheat your oven to 350*F. Cover a 9x13 dish with foil, and spray the foil with a non stick spray. This makes clean up sooo much easier.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl, mix thoroughly the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet, and stir. Mix in your chocolate chips and the coconut. Spread the batter into your pan and bake until golden brown, or your desired done-ness. Will take 20-25 minutes for a gooey center. Bake longer if you like. Share with your friends and family. They will love you for it.