Last week my husband and I were sitting at the park watching our kids play…

Hold on a moment. I need to note something big in parent-world. We were sitting together. On a bench. While all three kids played without our help. Just thought that was worth mentioning.

Back to the story. My husband received a text message from an out-of-town friend asking if we had plans for that evening. We didn’t, which was fortunate because they were driving through and would be able to stop for dinner.

Chicken fried rice was already on the menu for dinner that night, so I just planned to use all the baked brown rice and use all of the remaining roasted chicken in our fridge. I was trying to make-do with what we have on hand last week, so I threw in some frozen peas and whatever vegetables we had– carrots, mushrooms, and onion.

Since I had not gone grocery shopping for much recently, and having guests was a surprise, I had to get a little creative with dessert. Something easy, made with pantry staples, and quick enough to be ready before they arrived.

Voila! These brownies were invented. Inspired by a recipe from this great cookbook. 

A delicious chocolate-y dessert, made with almonds and coconut and just enough sugar. Sweet and rich with a hint of coconut and a little crunch. 

We do not follow a gluten-free or dairy-free diet, and neither do our friends, but it is still not a bad idea to incorporate desserts with less grains and more real-food punch. Plus, it’s nice to have a recipe on hand which can be put to use when I do need to accommodate special diets of others.

By the way, I loved what Modern Mrs. Darcy said this week about healthy eating and how there’s no one-size-fits-all. You should check it out.

You can find the recipe for these brownies below, along with a printable version at the end of the post. The pictures were taken when I made the brownies again the next day, this time for church, and doubled the recipe. Don’t let the fact that the pan is bigger in the pictures than is called for in the recipe throw you.

Almond Joy Brownies

Ingredient List

• 1 C almonds
• 3/4 C granulated sugar
• 1/3 C cocoa powder
• 1/3 C unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 C arrowroot powder
• 1/4 C coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 C brewed coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300°.

2. Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, and arrowroot powder in a medium mixing bowl.

3. In a food processor, mix the almonds until they are broken up and resemble coarse sand. Use 3/4 C of the almond meal and stir into the bowl of dry ingredients.

4. Mix together the oil, coffee, vanilla, and egg in a small dish. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until no dry streaks remain.

5. Continue to process the remaining chopped almonds until they blend into almond butter. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to help the almonds mix, if needed.

6. Line a 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Dollop the almond butter on the batter and swirl with a spatula.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

8. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently lift the parchment paper from the hot dish and set on wire rack to finish cooling. Once the brownies are cool, slice into individual servings.

What is an easy dessert you like to make for friends?