When I saw the “Cookie Carnival” button on a fellow blogger’s site I knew I had to join in the fun. September is my first cookie, and I was very excited because it had two of my favorite things: chocolate and coconut. This Black-Bottom Coconut Bar is from Martha Stewart’s website, and it didn’t disappoint. Well, that’s not exactly true. I didn’t really like the taste of the chocolate layer, but I was outvoted by everyone else who tried them. I loved the coconut layer, though; it was super moist and the coconut flavor was exactly right.
In order to maintain the peace between my children the afternoon I made these, my 6 year-old was my helper. She was very excited about the chocolate. Then her heart was broken when she saw the coconut. She wouldn’t even try one of the finished bars….more for me, I guess! 😉
Black-Bottom Coconut Bars
Ingredients
for the chocolate base
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
for the coconut topping
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 package sweetened shredded coconut 7 ounces, 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling
Instructions
- For the chocolate base: Preheat your oven to 375. Line a 9-inch square baking pan (I used an 8-inch.) with aluminum foil, leaving a slight overhang; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang). (I used non-stick spray–I don’t like using butter to prepare pans.)
- Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and melt it in the microwave. Add the sugar and salt, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the egg, then add the cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake just until the sides begin to pull away from the edges of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let the chocolate layer cool slightly while preparing the coconut topping. Keep your oven on to cook the topping.
- For the coconut topping: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and vanilla.
- Gently mix in the flour and coconut (except for the 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling).
- Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. (I laid a piece of waxed paper over the top and then pressed the topping into an even layer.)
- Sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool the bars completely in the pan. Lift them from pan, peel the foil down off the sides, and cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container 3 to 4 days.
