Thursday, May 12, 2005

Coconut Caramel Candy Bars

Coconut Caramel Candy Bars (Adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups toasted shredded coconut, divided
5 ounces caramel (block, cubes or homemade), cut into 1/4" pieces
5 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups of the toasted coconut, mixing just until combined.

Scoop the mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan coated with nonstick spray - press or spread to an even layer. If the mixture is too sticky to use your hands, lay a piece of plastic wrap on top and use a measuring cup to level out the dough. Bake for 15 minutes. Scatter the partially baked crust with the caramel and place back in the oven until the caramel has melted and is bubbling, about 10 to 12 more minutes.

Remove and scatter with the chopped chocolate - let sit 5 minutes, then use an off-set spatula to spread the chocolate smooth across the top. Sprinkle with the remaining coconut - set aside and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Just found the recipe? Click here to see where we talked about it!

9 comments:

  1. Joe,

    How "hard" were those to chew? I just had my lower teeth pulled in preparation for radiation treatments, and I'm DYING for something chocolate. I can do ice cream no problem, but I want more of a bar. These look like they would work from the picture/recipe, but I want to be sure. I know caramel can get hard, and I don't want to go to the trouble of making these and not be able to eat them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Donna - made as written, that caramel layer is quite thin and I don't think they required a whole lot of effort to chew. Have you thought about maybe a regular intense chocolate brownie?

    ReplyDelete
  3. These sound so good! And defiantly look delicious! I am so going to be making these as soon as I can! :]

    ReplyDelete
  4. These look dangerous.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Joe,

    Yeah. And I've got some in the freezer. *g*

    My husband loves caramel though, so I wanted to be sure that I could eat them, too, and since that layer is fairly thin, I should be in good shape.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tarah - I hope you enjoy the bars!

    Seth - possibly, but worth every calorie!

    Donna - Hee hee... we always have a few brownies stashed in the freezer too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Joe, is the coconut you use sweetened or unsweetened?

    ReplyDelete
  8. J.Bo - I used sweetened coconut.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Do these get super gooey if left out? I am making a goody/cheer up box for someone and one of their favorite combos is coconut/caramel. But it'll be shipped for 2 days.

    ReplyDelete