the power of persuasion (and some dark chocolate)

 

Is it just me or do women love sweets more than men?  I don't even need a full hand to count the number of guys in my life who will devour a dessert like I (or my sister or my best friend or my grandmothers, etc.) do: my father (genetic sweet tooth of aforementioned grandmother) and my beloved new uncle-in-law.  The latter will literally float down from his third story perch in the multi-family we own together and inquire "got any of those yummy cookies for me?"  The cookie fairy has been known to leave sweets outside his door to which he hilariously exclaimed to his girlfriend "when I think about them, they just appear...like magic."

This lack of sweet tooth boggles my mind and makes it difficult for me to pawn off my goods due to the fact that I am usually surrounded by dudes.  My husband Torren is one of those people who will try something new but in the end will ask for the same thing (Reese's Pieces cookies).  Our friends would prefer something alcoholic (I have managed to incorporate that into baking, stay tuned).  Lastly, my brother-in-law Rylan is also a willing taster but would ultimately prefer to eat a can of almonds with a side of unsweetened baking chocolate and dried fruit.  Blech.  So I decided that Rylan was my challenge of the month and I wanted to persuade him to the sweet side with a combo of his loves when he came over for Torren's Superbowl chili the night of the big game. 

Hooray!  I could finally make something "Almond Joy" associated!  Plus, I had spent the previous weekend roasting all of my leftover nuts from Christmas cookies and had plenty of almonds to go around.

These were easy and fun to make and in the end, I managed to make a sweet treat convert out of Ry by appealing to his dark (chocolate) side.  Score one for diabetes!

Almond Joy Brownies

Yield: 24-36 brownies (depending on your appetite)

INGREDIENTS
Your favorite brownies (scratch, mix, smix, whatever). 
My go-to brownie recipe is always Baker's One Bowl Brownie recipe because as much as I love my KitchenAid, I don't always like to clean the damn thing and a bowl and spoon are EASY.  If I am making them for the dieting bunch, I will buy the No Pudge mix (remarkably non-mix tasting, not a fan of fakey) or make it from scratch.
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I use Fat Free, doesn't taste any different)
1 1/2 C shredded coconut
1 C slivered almonds (toasted is extra yum)
1 C (8oz.) dark chocolate (around 60% cacao is ideal but everyone has a different palette, hence the baking chocolate lover above)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line 9"x13" pan with that lovely nonstick foil.  Prepare your choice brownies accordingly and spread in pan.  Sprinkle coconut, almonds and chocolate over batter.  Pour condensed milk over top.  Bake for 35 min. and lure that dessert ditcher to the land of sugar.

Nutrition (based on 24 servings): 350 cal, 19 g fat, 78mg sodium, 42g carb, 36g sugar, 8g protein