Double Chocolate Coconut Bowl Recipe

I don’t know what it is but recently I have had a hankering for all things coconut. I’ve been using a lot of coconut milk in my cooking and just the other day hit on an idea for the perfect coconut breakfast treat – a double chocolate coconut bowl.

Much like the name suggests, this uses fresh coconut topped off with some other healthy fruits and nuts, before defiling it slightly with the chocolate. Similar to a smoothie bowl or açaí bowl in concept.

Off I went to the market to pick up my fresh ingredients.

When buying your coconut you want it to have a good amount of coconut water in it. Shake it gently and listen for the water that you should be able to hear sloshing around. Avoid coconuts with any cracks which may have been exposed to germs or fungus. You should also check for any mustiness on the coconut and around the eyes (three dots on the end of the coconut).

Fun fact: coconuts with the brown husk on are typically around 1 year old. The younger green (Thai) coconuts that you can buy are only around 3 months old.

First I needed to get into my coconut. And fortunately Google/MarthaStewart.com was on hand to assist with a couple of handy video tutorials. I extracted my coconut water first (which made for a really refreshing drink while I prepped the rest of the coconut), before putting my coconut into the oven to bake and harden at 400f for 20 minutes.

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Once my coconut was cooled it was ready to crack open! The baking process had started a large crack which I then used as my starting point. Hitting it with the back of a large kitchen knife I was able to crack it open fairly easily. Baking the coconut also loosens the flesh so that it can be torn out easily in large chunks (if you want to use it in baking, or make coconut milk etc.)

But I was now ready to fill my coconut! I started with some coconut yogurt, before heaping the fresh fruit on top. I went with mango and blueberries but you can use whatever you fancy!

Strawberries, pineapple and banana would also be really tasty! I crushed some almonds and sprinkled those on too before going in with the chocolate. Pieces of white chocolate Toblerone and Lindt dark chocolate. My double chocolate coconut bowl was built!

Get creative with your filling – toasted granola would work nicely, chocolate chips or pieces of Mound/Almond Joy would be delicious. If you decide to make one yourself, please give me your topping ideas in the comments!

 (Making it look ridiculously Instagrammable, preferable… Being super extra and eating it at the beach, optional!)