Almond Coconut Bars
Okay, so let me start this blog entry by saying that these Almond Coconut Bars are really REALLY good! They are one of those cookies where you take a bite, you pause then you take a another bite, and then you look around and say to whoever is there or to yourself, “Wow, this is a really good cookie!”
Cookies by Bess has several recipes that call for almonds. I’ve made several that have almond extract, but I haven’t made a recipe that uses almonds as a nut in cookies. I was excited to try this recipe just because of the almonds! After making these cookies, almonds add a distinct, yet subtle flavor. I’m looking forward to making more almond nut cookies!
The Almond Coconut Bars recipe isn’t the easiest to follow. There are a couple different steps and moving parts, so I think it could be organized a bit better. I’ve listed the recipe here exactly how it’s written in Cookies by Bess, so be sure to read it as you go so you don’t miss anything or get mixed up. If we ever decide to republish the hard copy of Cookies by Bess again, I’ll rewrite it so it’s easier to follow.
I am rating this recipe 2-stars. All of the different steps in the process definitely make this a 2-star cookie difficulty recipe.
Okay, let’s get started. I pulled all my ingredients together and turned the oven on to 350 degrees.
Per the recipe instructions, I mixed the first three ingredients together. The recipe mentions using soft butter. I think this is key to blending the flour and brown sugar together. My butter was very soft, so I ended up with a nice and smooth cookie dough that was easy to mix. It would have been tough to get this consistency if I used butter that wasn’t so soft.
Next, I went to find my 9x9x2 inch pan. Much to my dismay, I didn’t have a baking pan that size. ☹ All I had was an 8x8x2 inch pan or larger pans like 7×11 or 9×13. I decided to use my 8x8x2 inch pan. I was a little worried the topping wouldn’t set up as it baked because of the smaller pan, but it was all I had so I tried it out.
Funny that later when I talked with my Mom to tell her about how great these cookies are, I mentioned that I used the 8x8x2 pan versus the 9x9x2 pan. She asked if I had a 7×11 inch pan and I said yes. She said, “Well, why didn’t you use that one? If you take 2 inches from the one 9-inch side and add it to the other you get 7×11 inches.” I just had to laugh. I never thought about it that way, but now it makes perfect sense to me! Thanks for the tip Mom!
So anyway, once I got the dough patted down evenly in the pan, I stuck it in the oven for 10 minutes. I took it out right at 10 minutes. It was lightly browned, just like the recipe said.
Next, I moved on to the topping. I sifted the dry ingredients together and set them aside. In a separate bowl, I beat the eggs gradually adding the brown sugar, then the dry ingredients, and mixed it all together. The result was a rich looking sauce type of mixture.
Now for the chopped almonds and crushed/drained pineapple.
Finally, I mixed in the coconut.
The topping all mixed together really looked yummy! The little bits of pineapple and coconut along with the chopped almonds provided a sweet and yummy topping. At this point, I could tell these bar cookies were going to taste awesome!
Spreading the topping on the baked crust was easy peasy! The crust was still pretty warm, but it was baked enough that it wasn’t disturbed as I spread on the topping. Also, because the crust was warm, the topping warmed up a bit, so made spreading a bit easier.
I put the bars into the oven and set my timer to bake for 25 minutes. In the end, I baked the bars for about 35 – 40 minutes. I knew they were going to need more time to bake because of the smaller baking ban, so I reset the timer for 5 minute increments. Once the topping was golden brown, I took the bars out.
Once the bars were done, I let them cool for a while before cutting into bars. I figured the cooler they are the more the topping would set up. I was right! They cut nicely! I let them cool completely before taking them out of the pan.
Just take a look at this bar cookie. Can you even image how these Almond Coconut Bars taste? The crust is soft and chewy, the almonds, coconut, and pineapple all mixed together in a brown sugar sauce. I can’t even describe how wonderful these cookies are. You will just have to make them and try them for yourself! YUMMY!
OMG! What a great cookie! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have…I’ve almost eaten the whole pan! ?
XXOO,
Janet
Almond Coconut Bars
Ingredients
½ cup soft butter
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sifted flour
¼ cup sifted flour
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup chopped almonds, unblanched
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
¼ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
Instructions
Start heating oven at 350 degrees. Mix well the first 3 ingredients. Pat evenly into 9x9x2 greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Now make this topping. Sift the ¼ cup flour with baking powder and salt. To the eggs gradually add the cup of brown sugar. Mix well. Stir in flour mixture. Mix well. Stir in coconut, pineapple, and almonds. Spread topping over baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.
Recipe Yield
Makes about 2 dozen 1 inch bars 1x
Cookie Category: Bar
Cookie Difficulty Rating
