Oh Martha!

Is anyone out there like me, and has a rather difficult relationship with Martha? Granted, regardless of her track record in the finance world and the many rumours of her having little to no people skills, I can't help but continue to admire this formidable woman. She is the one and only Martha Stewart after all. I grew up watching her shows on TV, with all the "good things" that she made in and out of the kitchen. Believe or not, I even thought that it would be cool to be just like Martha one day...



Granted, I have much less ambitious goals nowadays. Gone are the days of wanting to be the next Martha Stewart. However, I'm still fascinated by the woman, and the empire she has built for herself. But as admirable (or unadmirable, whatever your opinions of Martha & co. may be) as she is, the same can't always be said for her recipes. They are either truly a good thing, or they fail miserably, leaving me frustrated both at myself and at Martha.

Thus, it's always testy waters whenever I decide to tackle a Martha recipe. Thankfully, the last few recipes I've made from her collection have turned out rather well, and Martha is back in my good graces. I've stumbled across her recipe for the Black-Bottom Coconut Bars a couple of times on her website, but didn't get around to making them until the other day. The bars are very easy to make, requiring only a few ingredients that are readily available in most bakers' kitchens.



The bars are a cross between a rich, chocolate brownie and a chewy coconut macaroon. The combination of the two is simply divine. I did make an alteration to the recipe, substituting unsweetened flaked coconut for the sweetened stuff. It'll make the bars much less cloyingly sweet, as I imagine it will be if you decide to stick with the sweetened coconut, but the choice is up to you. Be sure not to overbake these, like any brownie recipe you'd follow, or the bars will turn out dry and crumbly—definitely not what you're after! These bars are the perfect little pick-me-ups in the afternoon, and make for a fuss-free after-dinner treat.