These irresistible chocolate coconut bars feature a buttery shortbread crust, loaded with a rich, chewy coconut filling, and then topped with shortbread crumble. They're sweet, buttery, and salty with bold coconut flavor - perfect for all the coconut lovers out there!
Why you'll love these chocolate coconut bars
- You likely already have everything you need (with the possible exception of unsweetened coconut), making them a quick and easy treat to whip up for any occasion.
- You can't beat these perfect trio of flavors: sweet, buttery, and salty for a truly irresistible treat.
- The use of unsweetened coconut intensifies the true, rich coconut flavor, making it the highlight of these dessert bars.
- These chocolate coconut bars bake in one pan and slice into neat squares which you can adjust according to your preferred serving size. Simply double the batch if needed - the recipe scales perfectly without a fuss.
- These dessert bars store really well for days at room temperature or longer in the fridge and freezer, allowing you to prep them in advance.
- Make easy ingredient swaps and add-ins. Try toasted coconut, chopped nuts or dried fruits, different types of chocolate chips, a splash of almond extract, or gluten-free flour when catering to allergies.
What are chocolate coconut bars?
Chocolate coconut bars are incredibly easy dessert bars for anyone who loves coconut! They're also a lovely option if you're craving a coconut treat but don't want to make an entire coconut cake or pie.
These coconut bars are made from a standard shortbread crust that's first pre-baked, cooled, loaded with coconut filling, and topped with reserved shortbread crumble. Once assembled with the coconut filling and crumble topping, these bars are returned to the oven until perfectly golden.
The unsweetened coconut is the real star of this recipe, allowing the coconut flavor to shine through. That said, there are many ways that you can adapt this recipe with simple ingredient swaps for the filling to suit your preferences.
per satisfying.
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- Unsalted butter: I prefer to bake with unsalted butter for greater control over the ingredients. If you do use salted butter instead, reduce the salt listed below.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is typically used in shortbread, but you could use light brown sugar instead, if needed.
- Flour: Spoon and level to avoid an overly dense shortbread base. All-purpose flour is my go-to choice for classic shortbread, but you could use a gluten-free blend instead, if needed.
- Salt: Balances flavors. Reduce to ½ teaspoon of salt if you use salted butter so that you don't end up with an overly salty crust.
For the coconut filing:
- Eggs: Allow the eggs to reach room temperature for smooth blending into the rest of the ingredients.
- Vanilla: For depth of flavor. You can also add almond extract, if you like.
- Brown sugar: Provides moisture and a caramel-like flavor that pairs well with coconut.
- Flour: Use all-purpose or a gluten-free flour blend for the coconut filling.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and flavors in these chocolate coconut bars.
- Unsweetened coconut: I prefer using unsweetened coconut in the filling since these bars are already quite sweet. That said, you can use sweetened coconut if you prefer.
- Chocolate chips: You could use milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or anything you have or enjoy that compliments coconut.
Instructions
Prep & preheat:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Generously grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Line the pan with parchment paper all the way up the sides to make sure it sticks to the pan. You could also leave a 2-inch overhang on two sides for easy lifting later.
Make the shortbread base:
- Combine the shortbread ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, and mix until well-combined.
- Take out ⅓ cup of the shortbread mixture and set it aside to crumble on top of the bars later.
- Press the rest of the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool the baked shortbread base on a cooling rack while you make the filling.
Add the coconut filling:
- Mix all the coconut filling ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Pour the filling over the slightly cooled crust.
- Crumble the reserved shortbread over the top of the filling and return the pan to the oven for another 40 minutes until set and slightly golden on top.
- Cool completely before cutting and serving.
For serving
Serve these chocolate coconut bars as a delightful treat with afternoon tea or for dessert with freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or this coconut dulce de leche ice cream for extra coconut indulgence!
Tips and variations
- Storage: Keep leftover chocolate coconut bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days to maintain freshness.
- Freeze: For longer storage, freeze these coconut bars on a tray in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container - they'll last for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours.
- Make ahead: The shortbread dough can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in the fridge. Allow the chilled shortbread to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking. You could also store the shortbread dough in the freezer for up to 3 months for ease of use later.
- Other add-ins: Fold chopped toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts into these chocolate coconut bars (either the shortbread dough or the filling) for crunch and flavor. Dried fruits are another delicious option.
- Extracts: Almond extract also pairs beautifully with coconut. You could use it as a substitute for vanilla extract or a blend of the two.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend instead of regular all-purpose flour to make these dessert bars gluten-free.
- Toothpick test: Insert a toothpick into the middle of the baking pan around the 20-minute mark to test the shortbread base for doneness. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs (but no sticky or wet dough), the dessert bars are done.
- Toasted coconut: For added depth of flavor, use toasted coconut in the filling.
- Pre-baking the crust: Don't skip pre-baking the crust because you want that contrast of the slightly crisp, buttery crust and the soft gooey coconut filling. If you're worried about your shortbread crust bubbling up when baking, poke a few holes in the shortbread before prebaking - it also helps to hold the coconut filling to the crust.
More dessert bars you'll love
Servings: 16 bars
Equipment
- 8x8 baking pan
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 1 cup butter try to use unsalted if you can
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt if you use salted butter then just use ½ teaspoon of salt
For the coconut filing:
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup chocolate chips or use ½ cup of anything you have or enjoy that compliments coconut.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and 8x8 square baking pan and line with parchment paper all the way up the sides. Press it up the sides to make sure it is stuck to the pan as good as possible.
- Combine the butter, sugar, and flour for the crust in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, or a spatula, mix until well-combined and the mixture comes together. Take out ⅓ cup shortbread and set aside to crumble on top of the bars. Press the rest of the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack while you make the filling.
- Mix all the filling ingredients together and pour over the slightly cooled crust. Crumble the ⅓ cup of the shortbread over the top of the filling. Continue baking for 40 minutes until set and slightly golden on top.
- Cool completely before cutting and serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Fat: 21g
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