Cherry Coconut Bars are the perfect dessert bars with a buttery graham cracker crust, and coconut, vanilla, almond extract, and maraschino cherry topping.
These Bar Recipes are perfect to feed a crowd. They’re easy to throw together in a matter of minutes, and then you can keep them in the pan to easily take with you to a party or bake sale. For more fruit bar recipes, try Blueberry Crumb Bars, or Strawberry Bars.
CHERRY COCONUT BARS
These unbelievable bars are made with a buttery graham cracker crust, sweet cherries, and amazing flaky coconuts. The coconut and maraschino cherries are mixed with sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and a little bit of almond extract. The vanilla and almond extract add a nice comforting flavor to the sweet and tart cherry and coconut mixture.
The recipe comes together and is ready for the oven in a matter of minutes. Just mix the graham cracker crumbs with a few simple ingredients to make the crust. Then whisk together the coconut and cherry topping to pour over the top. After baking, you just have to wait for it to chill for a few hours before serving. So, as long as you get started in advance it’s a wonderfully easy recipe!
These cheery cherry bars have the perfect blend of textures and flavors all baked into one square. They’re the perfect treat to bring along to serve at the dessert buffet for a potluck because they’re delicious, easy for everyone to serve themselves, and they don’t make a mess.
For a more indulgent dessert, serve these coconut and cherry bars with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream on top, or drizzle on some Hot Fudge. The rich toppings will pair amazingly with the sweet and refreshing flavor of the cherries.
MORE BAR RECIPES
Buckeye Brownies
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Caramel Nut Crumb Bars
Chewy Graham Cracker Bars
BAKING TIPS
- Prep time: Start the recipe by preheating the oven and prepping a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Graham cracker crust: Put the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they’re broken into crumbs. Add the butter, graham cracker crumbs, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined, then add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Once combined, use your hands to press the golden-brown crust into the base of the prepared pan.
- Coconut and cherry topping: Add the flaked coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, and almond extract to a mixing bowl, and mix all the ingredients together. Use a sharp knife to coarsely chop the maraschino cherries, then pat them dry with paper towels. Mix into the coconut mixture and spread the topping over the graham cracker crust.
- Baking time: Bake for 30-40 minutes until the coconuts are slightly browned. Allow the dish to cool completely, and then pop it in the fridge for 3 hours before slicing into squares and serving.
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VARIATIONS
- White chocolate chips: For a sweet chocolate twist on these Coconut Cherry Bars, try sprinkling white chocolate chips over the top of the recipe.
- Cookie crust: Instead of graham crackers, you can make the buttery crust recipe with cookie crumbs. Vanilla wafers or Oreos would both work well.
- Berries: You can also try exchanging the cherries for other kinds of berries like cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries.
MORE CHERRY DESSERTS
Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
Cherry Turnovers
Chocolate Cherry Texas Sheet Cake
Cherry Danish Croissant Bake
HOW TO STORE
- Serve: Make sure to let the bars completely chill before storing them in the fridge.
- Store: You can cover the bars in plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 3 hours.
- Freeze: To keep the squares for up to 3 months, store them in a freezer bag with the layers separated by parchment paper.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2/3 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cherry Coconut Topping:
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with baking spray.
- To a large mixing bowl add the butter, graham cracker crumbs, and brown sugar.
- Stir until well combined, then add in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
- Press mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.
- To the mixing bowl add the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well.
- Chop the maraschino cherries and pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix gently into coconut topping and spread mixture over graham cracker crust.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until slightly browned.
- Cool completely then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
Nutrition
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