These Chewy Coconut Bars are so simple, sweet, perfectly chewy and loaded with natural coconut flavor. I love them so much I could eat one every day!
So I bake a lot. It’s not really a huge secret. And BECAUSE I bake so much I feel like my family has a skewed version of dessert reality.
IMPRESSING my kids and husband with sweet treats has become decidedly more difficult over the years. Not that everything I make is a total winner. Of course not. But the sheer volume of dessert in my house is probably a little larger than the average home. It’s the nature of the beast.
Anyhow, what I mean to say is that when something I make, makes everyone go back for seconds (or thirds) I know I done good. Which bring me to these Chewy Coconut Bars.
They’re total simple in flavors (and prep) but undeniably delicious…crackly on the top, perfect chewy edges and loaded with coconut!
The batter goes together in a pinch.
And I know I will get questions here on this about the amount of sugar in these. There is 2 full cups. Some of you will ask if you can reduce that…the answer is yes and no.
Yes, you can reduce the sugar down, and use, say, 1 1/2 cups…but the sugar also affect the chewy texture of these bars too. So if you want the full chewy effect the answer is no. Get it?
Also note, that the bars tend to rise a little higher on the outside and sink a touch in the middle when they bake. It’s ok…actually it’s preferred. Those edge pieces are golden, and this is coming from an “I hate brownie edges” girl. So believe.
If you can stand it, let them cool all the way before you slice them.
There won’t be a crumb left. There never is in my house!
PrintChewy Coconut Bars
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Prep Time: 10 minutes - Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 20 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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These Chewy Coconut Bars are so simple, sweet, perfectly chewy and loaded with natural coconut flavor. I love them so much I could eat one every day!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with foil and coat with nonstick spray.
- In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, continue cooking until it boils, swirling the pan constantly so the butter doesn’t burn. Slowly the butter will begin to brown. Once it has reached an amber color remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula stir in the eggs, vanilla, salt and baking powder.
- Next stir in the flour until incorporated and then finally the coconut.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. The edges will be golden and the center will be almost set.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Keywords:: coconut dessert, coconut recipe, coconut cookies recipe, coconut flour dessert, dessert bars recipe, dessert bars, easy dessert recipe, easy dessert recipe few ingredients, best dessert recipe
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Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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Very sweet and much too gooey! Wish I had read the tweaks from the reviewers. I decided to convert the gooey mixture into oatmeal cookies.. I mixed in rolled oats with great difficulty .. too sticky… so I add 1/4 cup flour and then 1/2 cup rolled oats.. then baked 1 tbsp of cookie batter for each cookie… it was perfect..crispy and golden .. not too sweet. I baked on parchment paper at 370 F Tasted like lace cookies. I didn’t have the energy to do so many batches of cookies… so I froze some of the cookie mixture. I… Read more »
I made these for my daughter’s yearly cookie exchange. I wanted to make something simple as I am not a baker. After reading some of the comments, I cut the sugar down to 1 1/2 cups, used 1 tsp. Vanilla instead of 2. Also used unsweetened coconut flakes instead of the sweetened.. I had a small 8×12 oblong pan and baked it for 30 mins. After letting it cool, I made the cut and tried one. They were delicious! They were sweet enough with all the above changes. Thank you for such an easy and yummy recipe. Will definitely make… Read more »
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I made these in a 375 oven, in a 9×9 glass pan, for 30 minutes, and they came out great. They are very, very sweet, even though I used unsweetened coconut. I imagine decreasing the sugar too much would change the texture, but I’d encourage people to try 1 3/4 cup sugar to start with. I also used only 1 tsp vanilla, since 2 seems like a lot. (My vanilla is has a very robust flavor.) Alternatively, look for a blondies recipe with less sugar, and trade some of the flour for coconut.
★★★★
I made these today! Great flavor but even after baking an extra 10 minutes! They stay gooey. We ate them anyway but couldn’t cut them into bars. Any thoughts as to why? I followed the recipe exactly.
★★★★
Made these bars several times and they are a favorite in our house
★★★★★
So glad you liked them!!
I wonder if adding oatmeal or substituting for some of the flour would completely change the consistency? Looking for some tasty oatmeal coconut bars.
can I substitute the butter with coconut oil?
Yes, you can… a 1:1 ratio
These are really easy and taste delicious – chewy and flavourful – a great alternative to brownies. I made the recipe “as is” (and cooked it for 20 minutes) except that I used unsweetened coconut, and the bars were plenty sweet enough. I had two kinds of unsweetened coconut on hand – shredded and large flakes (Bob’s Red Mill) – and the combination gave a great texture. They are already gone 🙂
★★★★★
The recipe is awesome but can i replace eggs with flax seed
I just made these but only had 1 cup of coconut so I reduced the recipe. I also used half coconut flour and half AP flour. Really yummy and rich! I baked them for 28 minutes.
I tried them and they are delicious. I found that I needed to bake them for 30 minutes as my oven must bake at a lower temp. Otherwise perfect!
I made these last night in an 8×8 pan. Added 5 minutes bake time. Delish! Like a perfect chewy brownie but not chocolate. The brown butter and brown sugar make these. I think even those that say they don’t like coconut would love these. I used dark brown sugar so my cue for done was when the batter puffed. Good job! Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Did you use cake flour or all purpose flour?
all purpose 🙂
I make coconut milk every week and I’m always looking for recipes to use of the coconut after the milk is made. I doubled this recipe and added an extra egg. I used whole wheat flour, 4 cups of coconut and NO BUTTER (the no butter was an oversight but it turned out great! Saved a ton of fat and calories.) . Delicious!
Do you have to use tin foil for this recipe
I made these last night. I didn’t get a chance to try them last night. Here’s why. I baked them according to size of pan, temperature of oven and baking time according to the recipe. I let them cool for a couple of hours because they were to be for dessert after dinner. When I cut them, they were pretty much uncooked. The edges were cooked like shown in the picture and they were golden brown but unfortunately they were not cooked. I tried to salvage them by heating my oven again and returning them to bake. I left them… Read more »
I’ve had mine in the oven for going on 50 minutes now and they’re still raw in the middle.
Have you ever tried this with chocolate chips?
NO, but I’ve had feedback from some readers that they have and they’ve loved it!
Super fast and easy to make. They were delicious. My coworkers devoured them as well.
So I don’to have a 9×9 pan…can I use an 8×8 or double for a 9×13???
You could use an 8×8 and just add a bit of bake time!
Can I make it without eggs please? This looks so tempting but I am pure veg.. No eggs
You can sub in 1/4 cup applesauce for each egg.
Made these and they were a HUGE hit. I even have a coworker who doesn’t like coconut love them and wanted another. I always bake double… one for work and one for home. Doubled the recipe and made a 9×13 and an 8×8. Baking time was longer as I expected it would be but they came out great. Will be making these again.
★★★★★
Love hearing this!!
Will it work with shredded coconut? Thanks!
Do you mean fresh coconut? I used sweetened flaked 🙂
I am trying to replicate a peanut butter coconut bar recipe that our cafeteria made when I was in high school. Your recipe looks like the closest I’ve come to finding it, in terms of texture. How might I add peanut butter to it? Would I substitute some of the butter?
You could sub in half of the butter for peanut butter 🙂
I’ve tried mixing in Splenda or other sugar substitutes with my sugar before adding to the mix and this has helped maintain the consistency and feel of the sugar. And it cuts down on the amount of sugar needed.
Coconut is so tasty! These bars sound like perfection!
There may be 2 cups of sugar but there’s only a half cup of butter! I look for the bright side when possible.
Love a glass half full kinda gal!
Oh my gosh! These look SO good! I love coconut. Would it be really bad to add some chocolate chips too? I am sure they are super good without, but chocolate and coconut are partners in my book!
Go for it!!!
I just realized I’m a little short on coconut. I’m doubling the recipe and only had 2 1/4 cups. Should I add some oatmeal, extra flour, or do you think they’ll be fine with less coconut?
It should be ok with just using less!