Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie Bars

So, besides the fact that making and eating sweets and then talking and writing about them is my favorite thing ever, there is also this other thing I’m fond of: meeting like-minded folks via social-media who feel EXACTLY the same way I do.  The ladies of Sweet Potato Chronicles are two such peeps. They wrote a cookbook, The School Year Survival Cookbook, and it is all that, and then some.

The book offers up healthy, easy, family recipes for every meal. Though, truth be told, I made these chocolate chip coconut cookie bars when none of my family members were anywhere around, leading me to conclude that the recipes work whether life finds you in a family, or not. It should come as no surprise that the recipe I chose to make (first) is one that belongs in the cookie family and calls for chocolate, but, honestly, the blueberry grunt is still calling my name, so stay tuned . . . I did make a tweak or two to the recipe, as I did not have whole wheat flour on hand (yes, this fact speaks volumes about me) and only sweetened coconut, as opposed to the unsweetened called for in the recipe. And extra salt was added to both the dough and atop the bars (my love of salt combined with chocolate knows no bounds). I am hoping you’ll give this recipe a try and also hoping you’ll pick up your own copy of School Year Survival, to be cooked and baked from with nary a care of whether school is in session, or not.

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Chocolate Chip (Coconut) Cookie Bars

A satisfying chocolate chip cookie bar loaded with shredded coconut and topped with flaky sea salt.

Recipe Author Jessie Sheehan

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 12 ozs semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup butter melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 13x9x2-inch pan with cooking spray or melted butter. Line with parchment, and grease again.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the chips and coconut and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until glossy and lighter in color. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry into the wet, until just a streak or two of flour remain.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and flatten with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan after 10, and checking on the bars at 20. The bars are ready when nicely browned and a cake tester comes out with a moist crumb or two.
• Let come to room temp (or don't) and slice into 24 pieces and serve.