Chewy Coconut Bars

"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, k..." See moreeep 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 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 w..." See morehy 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! "

"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 appeal..." See moreing. (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!"