Chewy Coconut Bars
Chewy Coconut Bars are so simple, perfectly chewy, sweet and loaded with coconut. I love these so much!
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!
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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.
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These look SO perfect — I have to try them!!
They look so delish…but I have 2 allergic to coconut people in my house…is there anything that can be used as a substitute?
Try chopped pecan. It is reminiscent of a pecan pie middle to me.
Can i use unsweeted coconut?
Can i use unsweetened coconut?
sure!
What do you think almond flour and coconut oil would do to these??
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!!!
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!
Coconut is so tasty! These bars sound like perfection!
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.
Will it work with shredded coconut? Thanks!
Do you mean fresh coconut? I used sweetened flaked 🙂
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.
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!
Super fast and easy to make. They were delicious. My coworkers devoured them as well.
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!
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 in for another 20 mintues.
Today, after work, I came home and cut them. They were okay even after double baking.
They tasted very good.
I suggest a longer baking time and a bit browner than golden brown so that you don’t end up with the same dilemma that I had
I’ve had mine in the oven for going on 50 minutes now and they’re still raw in the middle.
Do you have to use tin foil for this recipe
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!
Did you use cake flour or all purpose flour?
all purpose 🙂
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!!!
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 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.
The recipe is awesome but can i replace eggs with flax seed
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 🙂
★★★★★
can I substitute the butter with coconut oil?
Yes, you can… a 1:1 ratio
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I wonder if adding oatmeal or substituting for some of the flour would completely change the consistency? Looking for some tasty oatmeal coconut bars.
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Made these bars several times and they are a favorite in our house
★★★★★
So glad you liked them!!
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