I do so love coconut. That love, however, is not proportional to the number of recipes on this blog that feature coconut. Quinn doesn’t like it one bit, so I don’t use it that much.
But, every once in a while, I can resist no longer. Because it doesn’t happen often, I like to make it count. And, these bars definitely count.
One of coconut’s best complements is chocolate. These bars begin with a rich chocolate shortbread crust. I’m a sucker for shortbread in just about any form, and this crust doesn’t disappoint.
That delicious chocolate crust gets topped off with a sweet, gooey coconut topping that gets nice and toasty while it’s baking. The total package is just about perfect in my book. Simple and quick. Chocolate and coconut. Yeah. Pretty perfect.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided
Instructions
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter, and mix with a pastry blender or fork until combined. Dough will be crumbly but should hold together when pinched.
Press dough into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
To make the topping:
Place eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly. Add sugar and vanilla, and mix well. Mix in flour until combined. Stir in 1 cup coconut.
Pour topping over partially baked crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup coconut over filling.
Bake 30-35 minutes, or until topping has set and coconut is lightly toasted. Cool in pan before cutting into bars.
Notes
For a nutty variation, mix about 3/4 cup of chopped pecans into the topping along with the coconut.
March 13th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
These look amazing. I’m crazy about coconut too! I made something similar to this except its more seven layer style. I tried a chocolate crust like this instead of graham cracker crust and I loved it. I called them almond joy bars. Your bars look thicker and even more coco-nutty. I’ve got to try this!
March 13th, 2013 at 1:30 pm
I can’t wait to try these! Love your site! Thanks much!
March 13th, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Great-looking recipe – like chocolate macaroons on performance-enhancing drugs! I bet that must be one giant explosion of sweetness on the tongue.
March 13th, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Coconut lover here. I bet these will be nice and chewy, too. Since I live alone, these smaller-sized recipes are perfect.
March 13th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
THESE R HEAVENLY THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR SHAREING
March 13th, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Those look delightful!
March 14th, 2013 at 11:35 am
What a great combination. These look so heavenly. Can’t wait to try them.
March 14th, 2013 at 11:35 pm
I’m so happy you couldn’t resist the call of coconut any longer because these are delightful! Loooove the chocolate shortbread crust. I’ll definitely have to make these soon. Yum!
March 21st, 2013 at 3:01 am
These bars look amazing! I love the combination of flavours!