Coconut-y Caramel-y Cookie Bars

I am one of the only people in my house who like coconut. The smell, taste, and texture all can send me into a tailspin of overeating faster than the stress of a high school reunion.

There had been a bag of coconut sitting in my cupboard for almost two months. I had originally bought it to make some cute Easter treats, but since I am one of the only people in my house that like coconut, it sat unopened. Every time I opened the door to get any baking supply it would call my name. So today I embraced my cocnut fever and made these cookie bars. When baked, the center of these bars come out somewhat gooey and caramel-esque in flavor, therefore the name of the post.

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I enjoyed eating them!

Ingredients:
1 ½ to 2 cups of coconut
2 cups of packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup butter
Cooking spray
3 beaten room temp eggs



First thing you will do is make your cookie’s crust. Preheat your oven to 350. Add ½ cup of the brown sugar, the flour, and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed until the mix becomes fine and smooth. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and using a spoon or spatula, press mixture into the bottom of the pan, coating as evenly as possible. Bake this for 10-15 minutes, until nicely browned.

While this is baking, combine your eggs, the rest of the brown sugar, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and coconut together in a mixing bowl. I use a mixer to combine everything together besides the coconut, preferring to add it last with a spoon to keep the texture of the coconut.

Using your spatula or spoon again, spread the coconut mix over the cookie crust.

Bake an additional 20-25 minutes. You will need to wait until this is cool to the touch to cut, and make sure that you are using a sharp knife, or your pieces will come out wonky. (Then you will have to make the ultimate sacrifice for your family and re-cut them all, eating the scraps so that they look perfect!)