Brownies for a Luau

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

I am going to my office's Luau next week and have signed up to bring brownies. I know it is an odd thing to bring to a Luau but we have highly organized potlucks and we can only bring what is on the prescribed menu. All I can think of is frosted brownies topped with coconut flakes. Please help me brainstorm. Thanks

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

Thanks to all, I was really inspired by your ideas. I made Mark Bittman's Brownies w/ Cream Cheese Swirl. I added 2 tbs Kona Coffee, brewed on the strong side, I used macadamia nuts instead of walnuts and I added a can of crushed pineapple (drained) to the cream cheese. They were a hit at the potluck. Lots of other desserts were left over except for my brownies. They were a little sweet for my liking but the pineapple was a nice compliment to the chocolate and I loved the macadamia nuts, I don't think I'll ever go back to adding walnuts to brownies. I like more traditional brownies but it was fun to do something different that made a lot of people happy. Bittman's recipe is on the epicurious web site.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/rec...

[Carb Lover]

Hey, thanks for reporting back! Sounds like you did a good job of integrating different ideas; glad they were a hit!

Now, my question is...would you classify your brownies as cakey, chewy or fudgy? Another point of comparison might be: how does the brownie itself (w/o the accessories) compare to a boxed mix?

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

The brownies were chewy, but your mileage may vary. I ended up doubling the recipe and putting it in a large pan so I did one layer of brownie and dolloped the cream cheese on top. I swirled it around to create the marbled effect. I think in a smaller pan they would end up cakey. As for the comparison to mix brownies it is apples and oranges. The Bittman brownie batter was on the thick side and brownie mix is thinner so the end product was denser but just a chocolatey as box mix. Also, the chocolate seemed to sneak up and linger a little while the box variety packs a wallop of chocolate at the get go. With that said, I am not the greatest judge of chocolate desserts because I prefer desserts featuring fruit.

[KellBell]

I would substitute coconut oil for the oil that is called for in the recipe, and maybe add macadamina nuts. Our you could go another route and do a Chocolate Kona Coffee Brownie.

[pamd]

I had actually bookmarked this recipe once from food network to use for a party, but then never ended up making them...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...

[theannerska]

I'm not sure how well this would work in brownie form, but I was once served a slice of chocolate-orange bundt cake - the orange made the cake taste much lighter than it actualy was, very nice and summery.

[Carb Lover]

I like the macadamia nut idea in theory, but I don't know how they would mesh w/ a chewy brownie texture...they don't seem quite right, but what do I know since I've never done it before.

One thought that I had was lacing the brownies w/ finely ground Kona coffee...love coffee and chocolate together. And/or you could do some sort of Kahlua icing or swirl. That should keep you hula'ing away...

[Non Cognomina]

If you break up the macadamia nuts first they should be okay. To break them up, wrap about a cup in a flour sack dishtowel, lay them on your counter or chopping board, then bang them with a rolling pin. If necessary, chop them even finer with a chef knife. Don't start with the knife, as the round nuts will roll all over the board.

[Armoise]

Make the Brownies with the thick coconut cream at the top of a can of coconut milk instead of butter. I had them made this way once in Thailand and it was addictive! Add macadamia nuts instead of walnuts. Coco-Mac brownies!