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!
Make sure to try my Coconut Cookie Recipe too!
Easy and Delicious Chewy Coconut Bars
I bake a lot of dessert recipes…obviously. And coming from a family where everyone has a different favorite dessert recipe it’s hard to please everyone. And of course coconut is one of those ingredients that people seem to love or hate, but luckily in my house everyone happens to like love coconut! So when I made these coconut bars, and not only did everyone love them, they went back for seconds (and thirds) I knew I had a winner of a recipe on my hands!
What To Expect With This Coconut Bars Recipe:
- This recipe is simple in flavors (and prep) and undeniably delicious…crackly on the top, perfect chewy edges and loaded with coconut!
- 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of bake time means dessert in 30 minutes! Of course they will be too warm to cut immediately out of the oven, but a large spoonful topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce is also a pretty delicious option!
- The edges of these bars are chewy, so if you are an edge lover, this recipe is perfect for you. The buttery crisp edges are caramelized and outstanding while the centers stay chewy and sweet.
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Light brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- All purpose flour
- Sweetened flaked coconut
How To Make Coconut Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- 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 shredded 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.
Common Questions:
- Is 2 cups of sugar right? Yes, there are 2 full cups of light brown sugar in this recipe.
- Can I reduce that amount of sugar? The answer is yes…and no. The sugar adds to the chewiness of this recipe, and of course the flavor. You can reduce it down to 1 1/2 cups with minimal issues to the integrity of the recipe, but for the best outcome, 2 cups is how it’s written and how these bars are intended!
- My bars sunk in the middle, is that normal? Yes, these 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 golden brown edge pieces are where the chewy magic happens, and this is coming from an “I hate brownie edges” girl.
- Why are my bars are so gooey? Let them cool completely and I promise you they will firm up. The centers will be soft when right out of the oven, and while they still stay soft, they firm up as they cool, so be patient!
Can I Add In Chocolate Chips To These Bars?
Sure! I would receommend adding in 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips if you are looking for a little chocolate. I wouldn’t recommend milk chocolate or white chocolate as they are both more sweet and these bars are sweet enough!
You can even add in some chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans if you love that nutty texture!
How To Store Coconut Bars:
I store mine airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days for best freshness. You can also freeze these in an airtight container for up to 30 days. Allow the bars to thaw at room temperature.
Love Coconut? Here Are More Coconut Recipes To Try:
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Chewy Coconut Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 20 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
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 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- 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.
Notes
Store airtight for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Freeze airtight for up to 30 days for best freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 144
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 115.4 mg
- Fat: 5.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.6 g
- Protein: 1.8 g
- Cholesterol: 18.6 mg
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 will make the cookies again!
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 these again with my 4 year old Granddaughter!
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.