Aloha!
The
only trouble with living in the great state of Colorado is the lack of beaches
and palm trees. I rarely have a moment where I wish I lived anywhere else, but
once in a while I need some beach vibes. Unfortunately you need money to jet
off to the beach whenever it calls (or sends a text) and I, like most college
students or people in general, have barely enough money to buy grocery store
sushi (don’t judge). So I enjoy bring the beach to me in my land locked
mountain state. Hawaii being my main dreamy beach location, I brought in the
typical Hawaiian ingredients coconut and macadamia nuts.
Now the other factor to my weekly
decision of what to make, was a shopping trip to TJ Maxx (where too many hours
and dollars get spent). I went into the cooking section and found some really
nice baking pans (if you’re a baking nerd you understand) I chose the brownie
8x8 pan as my prize. I took it home set it on the counter and stared longingly
until I made the decision to make cookie bars. Nom nom!
I kind of combined a couple of recipes
from my Test Kitchen Baking cookbook. The ones I chose were the brown butter
sugar cookies (which are a big hit with the McDuffee Clan) and the coconut
chewy bars. Mostly by combined I mean I changed the regular butter to brown butter.
Browning butter is the single most
amazing small difference you can make in a recipe. It does however have a fine
line between the perfect nuttiness and burnt (ouch). Browning the butter it the
first step to this recipe. Take a good size saucepan and melt the butter over
medium heat. Whisk is constantly until it comes to a boil. Then turn the heat
up to med-high and whisk it occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. The
butter will turn into a beautiful amber color and have a rich nutty smell. Take
it off the heat and transfer it to a heat safe bowl. To that same bowl add the
brown sugar, flour, and salt. Now it will be pretty wet since the butter has
been melted. So I popped it into the fridge for 15 min. Once it has cooled grab
your pan and line it with aluminum foil and give it a good spray then add the
crust into the pan and flatten it out. Put it into the 325-degree oven for
about 15 min.
While that is baking measure out a
cup of chocolate chips and set them aside. Once the crust comes out sprinkle
the chocolate on top and let it sit for a minute while it melts. Then take a spatula
and spread the chocolate evenly so you have a thin delectable chocolate layer.
Next measure out your coconut and macadamia nuts, chop the nuts to your size
preference and put them on a sheet tray in a 350-degree oven for about 10 min.
Make sure to stir them around every couple of minutes to prevent burning
(terrible smell). Now your kitchen should smell of the beach (or how I imagine
it to smell).
Now it is time for the best part of
the bars, the toffee filling. Get a medium size bowl and whisk together the
eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Next add in flour, baking powder, and salt it will
begin to bubble a little bit (don’t freak!). Now take you delicious coconut and
macadamia nuts (the ones you haven’t munched on) and stir them in. Take that
whole mixture and pour it on top of the chocolate crust. And put it in a 325
degree oven for about 20-25 min. Once they are done let them cool for about 2
hours so they don’t fall apart.
You can also add a little toasted
coconut to the top if you are trying to impress people (which I am). These bars
were a big hit with my family, they were gone within a day (which is not an
unusual thing), but I did hear many yumms coming from the kitchen. They are the
perfect dreaming of palm trees dessert.
Aloha!
Cassidy
Crust
Browned Butter 8 Tbsp
Brown Sugar 1/2 Cup
salt 1/2 tsp
All purpose Flour 1 cup
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 1 cup
Filling
Eggs 2
Brown Sugar 1 cup
Vanilla Extract 2 tsp
All-Purpose Flour 2 Tbsp
Baking Powder 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Toasted Coconut 1 1/2 cups( + extra for munching and topping)
Chopped Macadamia Nuts 1 cup
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