This post was written by my foodie sister Robin, who is now sharing all of her favorite recipes and kitchen tips regularly on the new “Make It and Love It – in the KITCHEN” portion of this blog. Try a few of her recipes…your belly will thank you! -Ashley
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Hey it’s me, Robin! So, tell me…..what’s your go-to baking snack? You know, when you’re craving something sweet and delicious, you don’t want to run and buy any fancy ingredients, but you really want something yummy? Mine is usually chocolate chip cookies (I know……big surprise!). But what do you do when there are no more chocolate chips?!?!
Here’s a quick dessert that you can add to your quick list of favorite, yet delicious, baked desserts! Because, oh man…..these are incredible! And a favorite! (And I’ve adapted it down below to be GLUTEN FREE…and yes, it’s just as yummy!)
We grew up in Arizona with a great family with lots of kids too, right down the road from us. We swapped a lot of recipes and borrowed a lot of sugar, flour, or butter over the years. My brother had a class in high school with one of the girls in the family and I remember him asking her quite often to make this and bring it to their class. She finally ended up giving him the recipe so he could make this whenever he wanted. (Or maybe it was so he’d stop asking her to make them…..haha!)
But man, these are good. A soft cookie crust, yummy toasted pecans, and a chewy coconut topping…..I mean, what’s not to love?!
You may need this for dessert tonight, and chances are, you have all the ingredients you need….so start gathering!
Shopping List:
Crust
Filling
First, gather up your ingredients…
Now, if you’re GLUTEN FREE, like many of us in our family, use this alternate mixture instead of the all-purpose flour.
Mix this all up very well. Use 1 3/4 cups of this flour mix to replace the all-purpose flour for the crust and 3 TBS of this to replace the flour for the filling. There will be a little bit left over.
(Psst! I am missing the cornstarch in the photo, oops. Sorry!)
Okay……so pick whether you’re GF or not, and let’s continue!
We’ll start with the crust. I try to make this as light as possible and that is why I just cut the butter into the sugar and flour instead of throwing this in the mixer.
Once it looks blended like this and I can pinch it together and it can stay clumped……I know it’s ready.
Spread this in a 9×13 pan and press it down. Bake this crust in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
With the crust in the oven you can whip up the filling pretty quick. First you need to mix up the eggs, then dump the rest of the ingredients in with it.
It is just that easy. You will most likely be waiting for the crust to finish…
Once the crust is done, you can immediately dump the filling on it without having to let it cool.
Spread it out like this and voilà, it is ready to go back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
When it is done, you should see the coconut pieces golden up a bit which makes it just right.
Let it cool and cut into squares and there you have it. Just like a coconut-y pecan pie, only in squares.
Now go ahead and make some for yourself!
-Robin
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Chewy Coconut Pecan Bars — Recipe Card
servings: 12-15
Crust
Filling
Cut the butter into the brown sugar and flour with a pastry knife to make small crumbs. Press crust mixture in 9×13 pan. Bake 15 min in 350 degree oven. Meanwhile, make the filling by beating eggs and then add remaining ingredients together. Immediately pour filling over cooked crust and spread evenly. Bake 15 minutes til brown. Let cool and cut into squares.
GF Alternative:
Mix this all together very well. Use 1 3/4 cups of this to replace the flour for the crust and 3 TBS to replace the flour for filling. There will be a little left over.
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Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
