Lemony Coconut Bars

Name: Lemony Coconut Bars
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 dozen.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened; 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar; 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; FILLING:; 2 large eggs; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1-1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut; 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts; GLAZE:; 1 cup confectioners' sugar; 1 tablespoon butter, melted; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel; 3 tablespoons lemon juice

These lemony and chewy bars make a refreshing addition to the holiday cookie tray. Try lime juice and zest for a zingy twist. —Nancy Zimmerman, Cape May Court House, New Jersey

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
2 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; gradually beat in flour, mixing well.
Press onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake until edges are golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
For filling, in a large bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, lemon peel and extracts until blended. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture. Stir in coconut and pecans. Spread over crust.
Bake until golden brown, 17-20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over warm filling. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Nutrition Facts

1 bar: 208 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated fat), 27mg cholesterol, 96mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (21g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein.

Originally published as Coconutty Lemon Bars in Taste of Home December 2014

Reviews

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Average Rating:

48deedee

Apr 6, 2016

Very delicious can eat these bars weekly all year round not complicated at all
sanguelo

Mar 9, 2016

I am a lemon lover, so I did add extra fresh lemon juice and more zest. I loved the combination of the citrus with the coconut. This recipe is delicious. Thank you!
071246lm

Feb 12, 2016

Excellent recipe; a definite keeper. I made no changes to this recipe, and everyone in my family loved these bars. Thank you, Nancy, for this recipe!
bernerlover

Apr 13, 2015

these were really good- I made them exactly as recipe called for. I'll definitely make them again.
delowenstein

Jan 9, 2015

I'd tested this recipe for the first time! This is a recipe which I'm sure I'll be using again! I sampled a bar and it was delicious, too! I adjusted the filling ingredients by using 1/2 packed brown sugar and 1/2 white sugar, 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel and 1 tsp. finely chopped candied lemon peel which I had available.I used 1/2 tsp. lemon extract, rather than 1/4 tsp. Instead of pecans, I used 1 cup white baking chips. I admit that I rarely use nuts as there are folks who can be allergic to nuts.I used about 1 to 1-1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for the glaze, but kept the rest of the glaze ingredients the same. This recipe came out very nicely! I baked 20 minutes and I'd greased and floured my baking pan for easier removal of the bars when being cut! I'm planning to use these bars on 1/11/15 for a luncheon! I DID use a sharp paring knife to cut these bars and also went along the edges to ease the bars from the baking pan. I got about 30 bars, depending on how they're cut! Thank you for sharing this recipe! delowenstein

Lemony Coconut Bars

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