I think you’ve heard me confess in some other post that I am not a big chocolate lover. Yeah, I said it! I like chocolate, I just don’t LOOOVE it like I love desserts starring coconut, citrus, nuts, cinnamon, or fruit. When Christmas rolls around, I have a bunch of chocolate related gifts from people and what do I do with them? I pass them off to my husband, who happily devours anything sweet in nature.
If you were to give me any type of homemade treat for Christmas, I’d happily enjoy a little package of these Coconut Lime Bars. Let me tell you why! Imagine two outrageously chewy cookies (one coconut & one macadamia nut lime) placed on top of each other & smooshed together in bar form. That’s what these bars taste like. The bite is AMAZING and that crunch from the macadamia nut? I die.
So when you’re thinking of homemade gifts, consider your friends (like me!) who don’t go gaga for chocolate. These will certainly do the trick! Besides, your bars will stand out in a crowd and you know how much we want that 😉
And we’re off!
Gather ingredients!
Chop nuts!
Zest the lime. Smells good, right?
Mix egg with sugars! We’re making the bottom layer BTW.
Add the nuts, lime zest and some of the flour into the egg/sugar mixture.
Put the batter in the bottom of a lined/lubed baking pan and BAKE!
While that bakes we work on the top layer. COCONUT TIME! Eggs, sugar & vanilla.
Meet flour & coconut. Reserve some coconut.
When the bottom layer is done baking, plop coconut mixture on top. Let it sit for a minute. It’s easier to spread when it melts a little.
Sprinkle the reserved coconut on top. NOW BAKE!
Lookie here!
Let it cool….this is the hardest part! And then cut up into little bars.
No one wants an edge piece…guess I’ll just eat them all.
Oh! And here’s how I packaged mine.
Labels & Stickers from Small Object & waxed paper bags I found at Whole Foods.
I cut a little bit of decorative paper out and stapled it to the edge of the sealed bag. Done!
Coconut Lime Bars
Makes 24
(recipe slightly adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking pan
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 package (7oz.) sweetened shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 9 inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch over hang on two sides. In a large bowl, whisk butter, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Add 1 egg; whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 cup flour, salt, nuts and lime zest. Spread batter in pan and bake until top is set and very lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 eggs and vanilla. Reserve 1/2 cup coconut; stir remaining coconut and 1 cup flour into egg mixture. Gently spread over base; top with reserved coconut. Bake until golden and toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Using parchment, life cake from pan and cut into 24 bars. Store in an air tight container, up to 1 week.
