This has been a busy week. We have the season of Sukkot and festivities mean lots of food, food, and food. Which also means lots of family time too. Been busy entertaining and cooking. I made these to take me with me to a friend’s place this week and was surprised how much everybody loved it. It is a great feeling when everybody will ask you if the recipe is on your blog already. I promised to post these asap, so here I am. These are absolutely amazing and one I make when I need to treat people because it always gets lots of compliments.
About this recipe
The recipe is fairly simple and straight forward with most ingredients that can be found easily. I use fresh shredded coconut but you can also use desiccated coconut. The dried coconut given them a longer shelflife making these perfect for holiday treats in give away baskets. The almond had a nice little crunch, texture, while the brown sugar gives that light caramel flavor. Chocolate and coconut have always been a great combination and I love it very much. But I have to be honest and say while everybody loves these with chocolate chips my favorite is still the all-natural coconut bars without any additions.
Ingredients and substitutes
Coconut – You can use fresh shredded coconut or desiccated coconut. While I love fresh coconut the desiccated does increase its shelf life by 3 to 4 days which is great when you want to give these as gifts during the festive season. Sugar – I use both brown and white sugar. Love the slight hint of molasses from the brown sugar when combined with the coconut and the crispness white sugar gives these bars. Butter – I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. Having said that, you can use salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe. Almond meal – is just ground almond. I love the combination of almonds and coconut. You can substitute the almonds with all-purpose flour if you want to keep these nut-free. All-purpose flour – simple plain flour is all you need for these. You can substitute some of the flour with whole wheat but the texture of the bars will be slightly denser.
Step-by-step instructions
Preheat the oven at 170 C / 340 F. Grease and line an 8 x 8 square baking pan with parchment paper. Thinly slice the almonds – and set aside. Combine together the almond meal, flour, and salt – and set aside. Lightly cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg – and combine well. Then, add the coconut – combine well. Next, add the flour mixture Add the vanilla and almond extract – combine well. Lastly, add the chocolate chips – and combine well. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the top with chopped almonds (more coconut if you want). Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool for five minutes before cutting. Cut into 8 large squares or 16 small squares. Store these well wrapped so they do not dry out.
Frequently asked questions
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