Oatmeal Coconut Raspberry Bars

I made these bar cookies as a way to use some of the coconut I inadvertently stockpiled in my kitchen. But the cookies are so delicious that I would go out and buy some more coconut to make them again. They are buttery, crumbly, addictive and easy to make. The recipe was published in the February 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine. Since I used strawberry jam instead of raspberry, I guess I should call them Oatmeal Coconut Strawberry bars. Whatever you call them, they are delicious.

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4- 1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spread 3/4 cup coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast in middle of oven, stirring once, until golden, about 8 minutes, then cool.

Blend together flour, sugars, and salt in a food processor. then add butter and blend until dough begins to form. Transfer to a bowl and knead in oats and the 3/4 cup of toasted coconut until combined well.

Reserve 3/4 cup dough and press remainder evenly into bottom of a buttered 13 by 9 inch metal baking pan and spread jam over it. Crumble reserved dough evenly over jam, then sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup (untoasted) coconut.

Bake in middle of oven until golden, 20-25 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack. Loosen from sides of pan with a sharp knife, then lift out in 1 piece and transfer to a cutting board.

Cut into 24 bars.

The bars can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. They can also be frozen.

Mrs. Kolbert's Coconut Bars

This recipe appeared in the Christmas issue of Gourmet Magazine in 1993. After holding on to the magazine for 16 years I finally found the time to make this very simple, homey bar cookie. The impetus was my discovery of bags of flaked coconut sitting in my cupboard. Has this ever happened to you? You see an item in the supermarket and think it would be a good idea to buy it in case you need it. You have a problem when you do exactly the same thing several times. Not only do I have sweetened coconut but I have three bags of unsweetened coconut in my freezer. What to do? Yes, these sweet, adorable cookies present a lovely way of reducing the coconut overstock in my kitchen. But there is no need to wait until you have a coconut glut. Make these and enjoy their old fashioned goodness any time.

1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup plus 3 tbl. flour

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped blanched almonds

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl with a fork, stir together 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, 1 cup of the flour, and the butter until the mixture is combined well. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking pan (it may look as if there isn't enough dough but work on spreading it evenly and it will cover the bottom of the pan). Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.

In the bowl with the fork combine the remaining 1 cup brown sugar, the remaining 3 tbl. flour, the coconut, the almonds, the eggs, the vanilla, and the salt and blend the mixture well. Spread the coconut mixture evenly over the crust and bake for 20 minutes or until it is pale golden. Cut the mixture into 48 bars and let the bars cool completely in the pan on a rack.

Makes 48 small bar cookies

Notes: The next time I make these I will make 24 larger cookies. These were so small that I ate 6 of them in a flash. They can be frozen in airtight containers for 1 month. I froze half of my batch and Henry and I ate the rest very quickly.