Coconut Toffee Bars

This is an old recipe that I've made a few times now.  It's one of my favorite baked goods because it hits my sweets, chewy, and coconut cravings in one bar.  These are so good, that whenever I bake them I can't resist eating a bunch as soon as they're out of the oven!  My mom loved these so much that she often requests them when I go through my baking phases.  Please try these, you must.  I think everyone needs to taste the deliciousness that is this coconut toffee bar!

Servings: 32 approximately 2-inch sized bars

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Topping:
2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325°F
• Lightly toast 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut in one of two ways:
• Oven -  the coconut thinly and evenly on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 5-10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes, until browned and crisp.
• Stove - Spread the coconut in a pan on the stove top at medium heat and cook while stirring frequently until the coconut is mostly toasted a golden brown (my preferred method because it's easier).
• Put coconut aside and let it cool.
• In a medium bowl, beat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt together.  
• Add 1 cup flour and mix until just combined.
• Either grease a 9"x13" pan or line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil (I prefer to do one of these because I can create a sling so it's easy to pull out of the pan).
• Spread the batter in the greased or lined pan and press down to spread the batter evenly throughout the pan.  This is the "crust" of the bars.

• Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1 cup light brown sugar, and 2 tsps vanilla. 
• Add 2 tbsps flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt and whisk together to combine.  
• Stir in the toasted coconut.

• Spread the coconut topping evenly over the crust. 
• Bake the bars for about 20-25 minutes, until the bars are lightly browned.
• Let cool completely in the pan and then cut the bars into whatever size you prefer.

These are amazing! They're sweet, slightly chewy, and just all around delicious!

If you're a bar lover and a coconut lover, then this is the perfect sweet treat!  These can stay in an airtight container for several days, although trust me these go really quickly!