LEMON COCONUT BARS

I came across this dish which Gonna Want Twos posted on Tastespotting recently, and I was convinced I had to prepare them as soon as possible. My mom would bake lemon bars for us when we were kids; they’ve become one of my favorite recipes ever since. The coconut addition is like adding icing to the cake’s already-made icing! I’ve never attempted lemon bars before because they were complicated and time-consuming to create. It turns out I was completely wrong. The bars were made in just 15 minutes (minus cooking time) and required only some ingredients. The only issue I have with these coconut lemon bars is that I can’t stop eating them, even though my stomach tells me to put them down!

I made a small change from one of the Gonna Want Seconds versions; I used just 1 cup of butter instead of 3/4 of a cup. The cookies still came out perfectly, and I’m sure I’m happy I didn’t open another stick of butter!

LEMON COCONUT BARS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.12)
• 1 cup of powdered sugar ($0.09)
• 1/2 cup of butter ($0.40)
• Four large eggs ($0.67)
• 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar ($0.27)
• 1 cup of lemon juice ($0.43)
• One teaspoon baking powder ($0.02)
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut ($0.38)

INSTRUCTIONS

• The oven should be at 350 degrees. Within a large bowl, mix the sugar powder and flour. Mix until well combined. Utilizing a food processor, blend this butter mixture until it consists of tiny granules the size of peas. If you don’t have the facility (I do not), allow the butter to be at room temperature and then work in the mix by hand. I prefer to call this method “smearing it in” (yes, I invented that term). Look at the pictures below to understand how it will look after thoroughly mixing.
• Lightly spray a 9×13-inch glasses casserole dish with nonstick spray. Mix the sugar and flour mixture uniformly into the dish, and then press it down with your hands until it’s well-compressed. Bake for about 15 minutes.
• While the crust bakes, make a mixture of eggs, granulated sugar, baking powder, and lemon juice in the bowl (I used the same bowl). Mix until the sugar has dissolved. Baking powder reacts with lemon juice, which is acidic, and starts to foam up, do not worry.
• Once the crust is done baking, whip up the filling and pour it onto the crust. Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top of the crust and bake the whole thing for 20 minutes or until it’s golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces.