This is a good recipe but it is missing a few things. First of all 1/2 cup of coconut is definitely not enough. I made these for a party and I asked for everybody's opinion and they all asked me why I called them Chewy Coconut Bars as they could not taste the coconut. So next time I added 2 1/4 cups of shredded coconut decreased the packed brown sugar by 1/4 cup used 2 cups of milk chocolate chips (semisweet works fine too but not as sweet. I substituted milk chocolate because I did not have semisweet on hand) used 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans and substituted margarine for the shortening (I didn't have any shortening). That time everyone raved about the bars. Thanks for the recipe though!
Very good - like a chewy chocolate chip cookie bar or blondie BUT a little bland since the shortening has no salt or flavor. You will need to double the salt and vanilla. If using salted butter keep salt as is only increase vanilla. If you have it use real butter. I also increased the coconut to 1 full cup. You can also use butterscotch or peanut butter chip for variety. Super easy and very chewy and moist. Will definitely make again (using only butter though!).
This is an easy tasty recipe that gives a unique twist to the typical cookie bar. Although I didn't find the bars particularly chewy they had a hearty brownie-like consistency that was still appealing. (My husband absolutely adored them and raved that they were even better than chocolate chip cookies!) However I did make a few modifications to the recipe. First I used butter-flavored shortening instead of regular shortening to kick up the flavor a bit. (I think it might be a little bland without the butter flavor.) Also I included a full cup of coconut and a full cup of nuts (pecans) to add more texture and up the taste a bit. When I make it again I will probably increase the salt to a full teaspoon and increase the vanilla to two teaspoons for an extra punch of flavor. Overall it's not a low-cal recipe but it's definitely a yummy excuse to be a bit naughty!
I made these for a church get-together and they were a big hit! I used butter instead of shortening increased the coconut to 1 cup left out the nuts and used 1/2 almond extract and 1/2 vanilla. They were amazing. My husband is VERY picky about his cookies and he loved these.
I made 2 batches of these the first one I made as is but used a full cup of coconut and no nuts and the second batch I cut the chocolate chips to 1 cup and used 1 cup of coconut and no nuts. The batch with just 1 cup of chips was much better and stil very rich and sweet. I don't think that 1/2 cup of coconut is enough even 1 cup almost isnt enough. It's hard to taste any coconut over the chocolate taste.
I took these bars to a youth gathering at our church and they disappeared very fast! I was afraid they were going to turn out like chocolate chip pan-cookies but they were sooooooo much better!
I halved the recipe and used an 8 x 8 pan. The batter was very thick and the bars were dense and gooey. Very good. Too good. I made these a second time using the full recipe amount. I didn't have chocolate chips so I doubled the coconut and drizzled chocolate syrup on top.
I used 1 cup nuts 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup coconut. I also used butter instead of shortening. I've also made them using 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips. Tastes great!
We loved this. It was easy quick and delicious. I'm so glad I didn't take the lazy way out and reach for the brownie mix instead.
I was so disappointed with these! They turned out moist alright mostly because they didn't cook all the way through. The outer edges were edible although quite crunchy but the middle was a gooey mess. I did double the coconut like other reviews suggested. I could have cooked these even longer but I would have had to sacrifice the edges for the middle and it just wasn't pretty.
