They're big and rich and nearly sinful. And simple to make. And very popular, for all those reasons. Not to mention just 5 ingredients.
I bake a chewy, not fudgy, boxed brownie mix mix in a mini-cupcake pan. One standard box makes 48 substantial 3-bite cupcake-shaped brownies. I've also tried baking the mix in a jellyroll pan and simply cutting it into small squares -- but they are just not sturdy enough for what follows! What seemed as though it might be a shortcut became a structural failure. The base has to be sturdy enough to support the top, and needs those slightly crusty 'side walls'. Baking in the cupcake-shapes lends the necessary infrastructure. If you have a favorite brownie recipe and want to make it from scratch, have at it. A mix is far, far easier.
So, bake the mix into mini brownie 'cupcakes' and cool completely.
Mix 4 cups coconut very well with one can sweetened condensed milk and roll a teaspoon-ish size ball for each brownie. Top each brownie with a ball of coconut and gently press a whole almond on top. Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill or freeze.
Melt a 12 oz bag* of semisweet or dark chocolate chips ( not milk chocolate) with about a tablespoon solid shortening. Dip each brownie bite in the chocolate, top down, to cover all the coconut and part or all of the sides of the brownie. Don't try to dip or cover the base. Touch up any big bare areas on the sides by dripping a bit from a spoon. Dipping completely to cover the bottom is way too messy, both now and when eating. Place them on a tray lined with foil or parchment and chill briefly to quickly set the chocolate.
They don't require refrigeration but will keep fresh longer if they are kept cold. Stored in a sealed baggie they will last at least a week or two in the refrigerator.
* be prepared to need almost 6-8 oz more, depending how thickly you coat them. While increasing the amount of shortening slightly will make the coating thinner and more fluid, it will also make the process messier, and will take longer to set.
