Browned Butter Brownies with Vanilla Bean German Chocolate Frosting

First, prepare the German Chocolate Frosting:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread coconut on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast it in the oven until just slightly golden – about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Chop pecans coarsely, spread them evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet, and toast 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Remove seeds from the vanilla bean: cut a vanilla bean in 1/2 crosswise, then slice each half lengthwise in half. Using the back side of a knife (the dull side), scrape down each half to remove the seeds (doing this over a piece of waxed paper makes getting all of the seeds easier). Don’t throw away the vanilla bean! You can add it to sugar to make vanilla bean sugar or you can make your own vanilla extract with it.

Coarsely chop the dark chocolate into chunks. Set aside.

Whisk egg yolks in a medium saucepan, then gradually whisk in the evaporated milk and cream. Add both sugars, the butter, vanilla bean seeds and salt. Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until the mixture boils and thickens – about 6 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl, and whisk in the vanilla extract; let it cool slightly, then add the toasted coconut (we’ll add the pecans and chocolate just before frosting the brownies). Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap, and cool completely in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days ahead.

While topping chills, prepare brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″ square baking dish.

In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it stops foaming (at this point, the solids will be visible in the bottom of the pan, it will be a nice golden color, and it will smell nutty). Add the unsweetened chocolate and stir until completely melted. Pour into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.

Add both sugars to the chocolate mixture, and stir until it is mixed well. Then add the 2 eggs and vanilla, stirring until thoroughly combined. Add flour mixture and fold it in until just combined.

Spread brownie batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Frosting the brownies:

Remove the frosting from the refrigerator, and stir in pecans and dark chocolate. Spread frosting on top of brownies. Sprinkle with additional chopped pecans and/or chocolate curls if desired. You can store these in the fridge if desired, or cover tightly with plastic, then place in a plastic freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to one month.

Recipe for brownies adapted from Williams Sonoma.