Cherry Coconut Bars

16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Refrigerate 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes

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 on cutting board

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!

Cherry Coconut Bars prep steps of ingredients in bowls and layers in baking pan

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

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.

Cherry Coconut Bars in stack

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

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.

Cherry Coconut Bars in stack

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Cherry Coconut Bars

Cherry Coconut Bars are the perfect dessert bars with a buttery graham cracker crust, and coconut, vanilla, almond extract, and maraschino cherry topping.
Yield 16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

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

Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 2mg

Cherry Coconut Bars collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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