Coconut Macaroon Bars are an easy dessert recipe with a buttery shortbread crust topped with chewy coconut macaroons. Perfect summer treat!
If you love classic Macaroon Cookies, then you have to try this recipe. Get the sweet, chewy coconut goodness you love but in an easy Cookie Bar. For more coconut macaroon treats, try my Coconut Macaroon Brownies and Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons too.
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Sabrina’s Coconut Macaroon Bars Recipe
My Coconut Macaroon Bars are made with a simple, chewy cookie crust and sweetened coconut topping. The combination of the brown sugar crust and flaked coconut topping make a dreamy, chewy dessert that absolutely melts in your mouth. Just like classic macaroons, this treat is made with sweetened coconut flakes and condensed milk. But the bar version is perfect for making in advance and bringing to a potluck, bake sale, or any event when you’re serving a crowd. Just let the sweet bars cool, then slice them into squares to share.
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Ingredients
- Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar as the sweetener in the crust makes the dough rich, dense, and chewy. The moist but firm crust is ideal for holding up the coconut topping. Brown sugar also gives the simple crust a rich notes of caramel and vanilla. You’ll use brown sugar in the coconut topping to create the same flavor for the entire sweet treat.
- Flour: All purpose flour is a great option for this cookie bar recipe. To help the dough come together smoothly, sift the flour to remove any clumps before you add the flour to the other crust ingredients.
- Unsalted Butter: Before starting the recipe, separate 1 ¼ cup butter so that you have 1 cup butter for the crust and ¼ cup for the coconut topping. Let 1 cup of butter sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes so that it softens. The softened butter will cream smoothly into the crust ingredients. Melt the remaining butter to mix with the brown sugar to make a sweet caramel-like mixture to add to the coconut topping.
- Shredded Coconut: Use sweetened shredded coconut to top off the bars. Shredded coconut adds sweet flavor and texture to the Macaroon Bars. You could also use flaked coconut for larger-sized coconut.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Condensed milk is milk that’s had the water removed and sugar added, resulting in a sweet, thick mixture. It’s a key ingredient in macaroon cookies, so adding it to the coconut topping makes this dessert similar to the cookies it’s inspired by.
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Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Pan: These bars were baked in a 9×13 baking pan. If you want to make thicker bars, you can bake them in an 8×8 pan, but you’ll have to increase the baking time.
- Stand Mixer: You can use a stand mixer to whip up these bars really easily. I used the same bowl and just cleaned it between layers to keep clean up simple with just one mixing bowl.
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How to Make
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Prep Time
Preheat the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare Crust
Add softened butter and brown sugar to your stand mixer. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 1 minute until it forms a creamy mixture. Lower the mixer speed to its lowest setting. Add the flour and kosher salt.
- Press Dough in Pan
Mix until just combined. Press the crust mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Prepare Coconut Mixture
Clean any remaining dough out of your stand mixer. Set the mixer to its lowest speed. Add the eggs, condensed milk, shredded coconut, and flour. Mix until the eggs are well combined.
- Sweeten Coconut Mix
Add the brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until well combined.
- Layer the Bars
Pour the coconut mixture over the crust, and use an offset spatula to spread the mixture evenly.
- Baking Time
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is toasted and golden brown. Take the Coconut Macaroon Bars from the oven and let them cool before you slice the recipe into squares.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, dessert bar recipes like this one are excellent for making ahead of time. To make the recipe in advance, you’ll follow all the original instructions for combining the ingredients and baking. Wait for the bars to cool before transferring to a ziplock bag or an airtight container. If you freeze the bars, they can stay fresh for up to 3 months. Then just let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
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Nutritional Facts
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What to Pair With Coconut Macaroon Bars
Coconut Macaroon Bars are delicious served on their own for a quick dessert. But, just like brownies, you could also serve them topped off with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream for a richer dessert dish. You can also top them with a drizzle of Caramel Sauce or melted chocolate.
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How to Store
- Serve: To cut the macaroon recipe into clean squares, wait until the pan cools before using a butter knife or spatula to slice. But be sure you don’t leave the pan of Macaroon squares sitting uncovered for more than 2 hours or so.
- Store: To keep Coconut Macaroon Bars fresh, you can cover the pan in plastic wrap or aluminum foil or transfer the coconut squares to an airtight container. Kept sealed, the recipe can stay good at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You can also freeze this bar recipe for up to 3 months. Package the bars in a freezer bag with wax paper between layers so they don’t freeze stuck together.
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Frequent Questions
Although the words for these cookies are quite similar and they’re often used interchangeably, they are quite different desserts. Macarons are colorful, meringue-based sandwich cookies often seen on display in French bakery windows. Macaroons, on the other hand, are sweet, dense cookies made with sugar, vanilla, and flaked coconuts. The drop cookies have a ball-like shape and are often dipped in chocolate before serving.
This bar version has different ingredients due to the crust, but typically coconut macaroons are made with a mixture of shredded coconut, salt, flour, and sweetened condensed milk. This recipe includes all those classic ingredients along with some other delicious additions.
While macarons are a classic French confection, Coconut Macaroons have a different history. They originated in Italy and have since become a popular treat around the world.
Be sure to pick up the sweetened shredded coconut. The coconut topping adds a chewy texture and a lot of sweet flavor to this dessert recipe. So, it’s important that you get the sweetened variety.
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup brown sugar , packed
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 3 large eggs
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking pan with baking spray.
- To your stand mixer add the butter and brown sugar, until creamy, beating on medium speed for 1 minute.
- On the lowest speed setting add in the flour and salt until just combined.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan.
- Wipe the stand mixer clean and on the lowest speed setting add the eggs, condensed milk, shredded coconut and flour until the eggs are well mixed.
- Add in the brown sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract until well mixed.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is just golden brown.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
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Variations
Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Bars: To make Chocolate Macaroon bars, you can simply drizzle melted chocolate over the coconut topping after baking or take it to the next level with a chocolate crust. Instead of the classic brown sugar crust, you can make a chocolate wafer crust. Use a rolling pin or food processor to break chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate graham crackers into crumbs. Break enough wafers to make 2 cups of crumbs. Then mix the crumbs with 6 tablespoons powdered sugar and ½ cup melted butter. Once the crumb mixture is well combined, press it into a prepared baking pan. Spread the coconut topping evenly over the chocolate crust and bake for 25 minutes.
Caramel Coconut Topping: Another sweet addition you can make to this recipe is a salted caramel topping. Melt kraft caramel squares in 30-second increments in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stovetop. Then drizzle caramel over the top of the coconut squares, and sprinkle large grain sea salt on top. Let the squares cool and the caramel set before cutting into bars.
Nuts: Add delicous crunch to these chewy coconut bars by sprinkling chopped nuts over the top. Toasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts would all make delicious additions to the Macaroon Bars.
Flavor additions: Vanilla extract adds warm and sweet flavor notes to the coconut topping. You could also add almond extract, hazelnut extract, or maple extract for more layers of flavor. Just be sure to only add 1/2-1 teaspoon since extracts have quite a strong flavor.
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