Salted dark chocolate coconut bites

For basically my whole life my go-to dessert recipe has been a brownie that I adapted from a kid's cookbook that I've had since I was little. (Recipe here) I think that's about to change now though, since I started making these salted chocolate coconut bites. My mom even requested it for her birthday dessert already! I consider that a major win.

Salted dark chocolate coconut bites. Makes 24.
Adapted from this Raia's Recipes dessert

You'll need:
2c. unsweetened coconut
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. honey
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
12oz dark chocolate chips
Square silicon mold
Mini cupcake liners
Optional: extra kosher salt for topping

First of all, if your coconut isn't already finely shredded, just run it through the food processor first to make sure it's as fine as possible. You can buy coconut that's already fine, and that saves a step (I'm all for avoiding having to clean another kitchen appliance, lol!) 

Once your coconut is finely shredded, mix it with the honey and salt. Heat the coconut oil over a low flame until it's melted and then mix it into the coconut mixture. I stirred this by hand using a wooden spoon until it seemed well-blended. At this point the texture will still look very flakey, and that's normal. 

Line the squares in your pan with mini cupcake liners. They should take the shape of the square cavities when you pop them in! Add about 1.5 teaspoons of the coconut mixture in each square, and then pack it in tightly using the back of a spoon. You want to make sure the coconut is firmly packed into the pan.

Once all of the squares are filled, pop the whole tray into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. The coconut should feel completely solid, almost like a little coconut ice cube, before you add the chocolate.

Heat up your dark chocolate chips over a low flame in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the chocolate is totally melted. I used a pastry bag (well, actually, I used a zip-loc bag with the corner clipped) to top off the coconut squares with the chocolate. You could also spoon it in, but it might get a little more messy!

Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the chocolate, making sure to fill up the edges of the cupcake liner. Then pop the tray back into the freezer for five more minutes.

Now that the chocolate has started to set, sprinkle the squares with more kosher salt. This step can be optional (for instance, my parents have high blood pressure and avoid any extra sodium so I made a batch for them without the salt and it was still good!) but I love this extra layer of flavor. Chocolate and salt is one of my favorite combinations!

Pop the tray back into the freezer for another 10-15 minutes, and then they're ready to eat! After they're done freezing I store mine in the refrigerator. But they don't last long! In the last week I've made three batches of these and none of them have lasted longer than 24 hours in my house!

I love how perfect these are for parties. With their cute little wrappers and bite-sized shape they're an ideal dessert or snack for your guests to help themselves. And they're so easy, and require absolutely no baking -- perfect for these hot summer days we have coming up!