Many people tell me this is one of their favorite recipes from my cookbook, Ready For Dessert. In addition to these fantastic Coconut-Dipped Chocolate Macaroons in it, you’ll find the much-loved recipe for Fresh Ginger Cake, which makes a fantastic dessert served with sliced, juicy peaches or flavorful strawberries and raspberries in the summer, or tangy lemon cream in the winter, as well as my other most frequently…
Many people tell me this is one of their favorite recipes from my cookbook, Ready For Dessert. In addition to these fantastic Coconut-Dipped Chocolate Macaroons in it, you’ll find the much-loved recipe for Fresh Ginger Cake, which makes a fantastic dessert served with sliced, juicy peaches or flavorful strawberries and raspberries in the summer, or tangy lemon cream in the winter, as well as my other most frequently requested recipes.
I’m often asked about the different between Parisian macarons and American-style macaroons, like these. Both are egg white-based, however the European version (which was invented in Italy) uses almonds whereas the American ones use coconut. There’s some dispute about how the American ones came to be made of coconut; one theory is that European immigrants who came to the United States couldn’t get almonds, or they were too expensive, so they used coconut.
Another theory is that European companies wanted to ship their macarons over longer distances, so swapped out coconut for the spoilage-prone nuts. Others credit Franklin Baker, an American flour miller, who found the then-exotic shredded coconut more interesting (and less-expensive) to use than nuts. Either way, I like all kinds of macaroons…or macarons.
The French do make coconut cookies, which are called Congolais or Rochers à la noix de coco, usually shortened to Rochers coco, or coconut “rocks.” I’ve not seen them dipped in chocolate in any French bakery – but why not?
I’ve tweaked this recipe over the years and tested them with flour alternatives, which I’ve noted in the headnote in the recipe, and they come out great. You can even skip swiping the bottoms in bittersweet chocolate if you wish. No matter how you make them, I hope they become one of your favorite cookies, too.
From Ready for DessertI invariably make these cookies when I have extra egg whites on hand. The dough freezes beautifully if I don't plan to make the macaroons right away. These coconut macaroons can be made without the flour by substituting 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch for the flour. Readers have told me the recipe works well with 1/4 cup matzoh meal substituted in place of the flour.
3ounces (90g)bittersweet or semisweet chocolatechopped
Instructions
In a large skillet or wide saucepan, mix together the egg whites, sugar, salt, and honey.
Over low heat on the stovetop, stir the egg whites and sugar together until the mixture is tepid, but not warm or hot. You don't want to cook them; just warmed slightly so they are looser.
Add the coconut, flour, and vanilla. Continue to stir the mixture over medium heat for a few minutes until it thickens to a cohesive mass. (It'll be like very thick oatmeal and the bottom will very slightly start to scorch.) Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl to cool to room temperature.
When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and preheat the oven to 350º F (180ºC).
Form the dough into 1 1/2-inch (4cm) rounds in your hands, squeezing the dough to coax them into rough rounds (remember, the French call them "rocks," so they can be a uneven - for smoother rounds, dampen your hands), then place them evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Bake the macaroons until deep golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely.
To dip the macaroons in chocolate, melt the chocolate in a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a microwave.) Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Dip the bottoms of each cookie in the chocolate and set the cookies on the baking sheet. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
Notes
Unsweetened shredded coconut is available in most natural food shops or you can purchase it online. Flaked coconut is larger and I haven't tried these macaroons with the flakes but if that's all you have, I would pulse the flakes in a food processor a few times until they're finely shredded.Storage: The baked macaroons will keep for up to three or four days if stored in an airtight container. If dipped in chocolate, store the cookies in a cool place. The dough can be refrigerated for up to one week or frozen for at least two months.
These Coconut Cream Pie Bars are so decadent that I could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (And by could, I mean I HAVE.) They’re made with a buttery vanilla cookie crust and a rich and velvety coconut cream filling and topped with dollops of vanilla-scented whipped cream. You get 24 slices from this easy Coconut Cream Pie Bars recipe, so it’s perfect for a school bake sale or a large get-to-gether. I’m obsessed!
What Are Coconut Cream Pie Bars?
Coconut Cream Pie Bars are basically a simplified Coconut Cream Pie. Instead of making a pie crust and blind baking it, I use a cookie crust that comes together in seconds. I put the most work into the filling, steeping coconut milk with coconut flakes to really punch in on that tropical flavor. The flakes are strained out to create the silkiest texture, and the whole thing is topped with canned whipped cream (which can withstand a hot summer day without liquifying). The final touch is a generous sprinkle of crunchy toasted coconut flakes.
Ingredients For Coconut Cream Pie Bars
This recipe scores a 100 for convenience. You can make the crust and fill it with custard a day ahead, then refrigerate until it’s go time. You can even freeze it up for up to three months. Just leave the whipped cream topping and coconut flake garnish for when you’re ready to serve. Here’s what you need to make Coconut Cream Pie Bars:
Unsweetened Flaked Coconut: helps flavor the coconut milk custard and is used as a garnish. I use unsweetened to control the amount of sugar in the recipe. If you want to use sweetened coconut flakes, skip the sugar. You don’t have to strain the coconut flakes out of the custard, but chunky custard isn’t my thing, so I do.
Coconut Milk, Condensed Milk, and Evaporated Milk: create our custard base. If two cans of coconut milk are out of your budget, replace one can with a second can of evaporated milk and steep the mixture for an hour instead of 20 minutes.
Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: these sweeten the custard, with the brown sugar adding notes of molasses to deepen the flavor.
All-Purpose Flour and Cornstarch: help thicken the custard.
Eggs: Egg yolks thicken the custard and help deepen its color. Reserve the white for a different preparation, or use them to make meringue!
Salted Butter: adds a velvety finish to the custard.
Vanilla Extract: rounds out the flavor of the filling
Whipped Cream Topping: I use canned whipped cream because it’s stabilized and tends to hold up on a hot summer day. But if you’re eating this in a controlled and cool environment, and you’re not scared of the cream getting a little soupy, try it with frozen whipped cream or our easy Homemade Whipped Cream.
How To Store Coconut Cream Pie Bars
Place leftover bars in an airtight container, top with a piece of parchment paper, seal, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If you plan on making the bars to freeze for later, skip the whipped cream topping and coconut flake garnish. Pour the custard into the cookie crust and refrigerate it until it sets. Then top it with a sheet of parchment directly on the surface, wrap it in two layers of aluminum, and keep it in an airtight container (or wrap it in plastic.) Thaw the frozen bars in the refrigerator before topping them with whipped cream and garnishing them with coconut flakes.
In a blender or food processor, blend the vanilla wafers into a sandy consistency.
Mix in the melted butter and salt until the cookie crumbs are completely saturated and have deepened in color.
Press the cookie crust into an 11×7-inch baking dish in an even layer and freeze. If you don't have an 11×7-inch dish, use any square or rectangle dish with a 10-cup (2.5 qt) volume.
Filling
Add the unsweetened coconut flakes to a large saucepan set over medium heat. Toast the flakes, stirring occasionally so they don't burn. Remove them from the pan when they are golden brown.
Add 1 cup of the toasted coconut flakes, the condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, salt, and flour to a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until everything is combined and the milk has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Take the milk mixture off the heat and let it steep for 20 minutes. Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the coconut flakes from the milk mixture and discard. Add the milk mixture back to the pan and set over medium heat.
In a small bowl, add the water to the egg yolks. Mix in the cornstarch to create a slurry, then add it to the milk mixture in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the custard bubbles in spurts.
Take the pan off the heat and add the butter and vanilla extract. Mix until the butter dissolves.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the chilled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 2 to 3 hours.
Top with whipped cream topping and sprinkle the whipped cream with the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes.
How to Make Coconut Cream Pie Bars – Step by Step Photos
In a blender or food processor, blend the 8 ounces of vanilla wafers into a sandy consistency. Mix in 1/2 cup of melted butter and a pinch of salt until the cookie crumbs are completely saturated and have deepened in color.
Press the cookie crust into an 11×7-inch baking dish in an even layer and freeze. If you don’t have an 11×7-inch dish, use any square or rectangle dish with a 10-cup volume.
Add the 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes to a large saucepan set over medium heat. Toast the flakes, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. Remove them from the pan when they are golden brown.
Add 1 cup of toasted coconut flakes, one 14oz. can of condensed milk, one 12oz. can of evaporated milk, two 13.5oz. cans of coconut milk, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3/4 cup of flour to a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until everything is combined and the milk has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Take the milk mixture off the heat and let it steep for 20 minutes. Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the coconut flakes from the milk mixture and discard. Add the milk mixture back to the pan and set over medium heat.
In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water to the 3 egg yolks. Mix in the 1/4 cup of cornstarch to create a slurry, then add it to the milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the custard bubbles in spurts.
Take the pan off the heat and add the 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix until the butter dissolves.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the chilled crust.
Refrigerate until set, about 2 to 3 hours.
Top with 2 cups of whipped cream topping and sprinkle the whipped cream with the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes.
These Buttermilk Coconut Waffles are easy to make and loaded with shredded coconut, giving them not only a nice coconut flavor, but a little extra texture because you’ll get some in every bite. As a coconut fan, I’m always happy to start my morning with a little taste of the tropics.
These Buttermilk Coconut Waffles are easy to make and loaded with shredded coconut, giving them not only a nice coconut flavor, but a little extra texture because you’ll get some in every bite. As a coconut fan, I’m always happy to start my morning with a little taste of the tropics.
If you have a good waffle iron, waffles are a surprisingly easy way to start your day. Like pancakes, the batter for this recipe can be mixed up in just a couple of minutes. Unlike pancakes, however, there is no need to stand over the stove because the iron does all the work for you while you do other morning tasks, such as brewing up some fresh coffee to go with those waffles. The point that I am trying to make here is that, while waffles are a wonderful weekend food, they are a fantastic way to get an average weekday off to a great start and don’t take that much more effort than making toast.
I used sweetened coconut in these waffles and highly recommend that you do the same. This is primarily because the waffles are not very sweet on their own and the additional sweetness of the coconut helps it to stand out even more. It is also because sweetened coconut is a little softer than unsweetened coconut and that softness blends nicely into the tender interior of the waffles. The batter itself is a straightforward buttermilk belgian waffle batter that I’ve used several times before. It has a small amount of cornstarch in it that keeps the waffles tender and light.
While I did use a belgian waffle iron, you can make these waffles using a traditional waffle iron, as well. If your iron is a very different shape or size, you might get slightly more or fewer waffles from this recipe, though it should definitely make enough to serve at least four people. If you are serving a big group, feel free to double the recipe. Also, be sure to store ready-to-eat waffles in a warm oven to keep them crisp until you’ve finished cooking the whole batch of batter, so that everyone can sit down to eat at the same time.
I served these up with maple syrup but coconut syrup or another tropical flavor is the best way to go if you have some on hand. Leftover waffles can be frozen and reheated in the oven or the toaster, too.
Buttermilk Coconut Waffles
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour buttermilk mixture in. Whisk or stir until batter comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients are visible. Fold in shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
Preheat Belgian waffle iron until very hot. Grease lightly with melted butter or cooking spray. Pour about 1 cup of batter (more or less, depending on your iron) into your waffle iron and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions until deep golden on both sides (about 4 minutes in my iron).
Serve immediately, or place in a 250F oven to keep warm while you finish making the the rest of the batch of waffles. Sprinkle waffles with additional coconut before serving.
