Totally delicious recipe for caramel coconut shortbread bars made with homemade caramel, unsweetened coconut and topped with a layer of dark chocolate. Head over to the Simple Cookie Recipes page for more easy cookie recipe ideas!
When I discovered this recipe for caramel coconut shortbread bars years ago they quickly moved to the top of my favorite Christmas cookie list, since they include all the best elements:
- Buttery shortbread bottom layer.
- A second layer of caramel mixed with coconut.
- Finished with a layer of dark chocolate.
They remind me of Girl Scout Samoas Cookies, but with a lot more caramel. Which makes them kind of hard to give away in our goody bags, as you can imagine!
But I do, along with peanut butter brownie sandwich cookies, homemade butter mints, Moose Munch caramel corn, and Quadruple Brownies. I just make sure to keep a few aside...
Caramel Coconut Shortbread Bars
The Base.
While they seem complicated with the layers, to make these caramel coconut shortbread bars, you simply bake up a 5-ingredient shortbread crust, layer it with caramel layer that's mixed with coconut and top it all with melted chocolate.
The Caramel Layer.
This recipe is adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe, which called for wrapped caramel candies. You can probably guess that I would not have any of those around (plus, they always taste funny to me - are they real?), so my version uses an easy caramel made with a can of sweetened condensed milk, that you can make one of two ways (it's similar to my Caramel Apple Dip, but cooked longer).
Option 1: Make a lower-sugar caramel in the microwave.
- Pros: uses less sugar, doesn't need constant stirring, no chance of burning on bottom, no thermometer needed.
- Cons: can overflow the bowl at the end if not watched, sets up harder - not as soft and chewy.
Option 2: Make a more traditional caramel on the stove with a candy thermometer.
- Pros: control consistency better with a thermometer, softer texture, makes more so you can make a few caramel candies, too.
- Cons: potential for burning, need to stir constantly, uses more sugar and a thermometer.
I've done it both ways (master of the obvious, here), and I can tell you that I like the finished product better when I use the stove-top version, but I like the ease of the microwave technique (and the almost no risk of burning). So I choose depending on the amount of time I have - you simply cannot do other things when making stove-top caramel.
To give you an idea of the difference, here is a comparison of the original photos I took of this recipe in 2010 using the stove-top caramel next to the current photos with the microwaved caramel that was refrigerated overnight (and let's just focus on how far my photography skills have come and not how bad they were, k? 🙂 ):
I think you see what I mean by the texture differences. But I can tell you that both are equally delicious!
The ease of the microwaved version, plus the fact that it uses less sugar - and still tastes amazing! - is winning me over to that cooking technique, I think. It's still chewy with the same great flavor. But since choices are a good thing, I'm giving you both cooking options in the printable recipe when you click the arrow below.
However you make the caramel, please make these - everyone on your goody list will LOVE them, I promise.
Caramel Coconut Shortbread Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Shortbread Layer:
- 12 tablespoons softened butter 1½ sticks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1¾ cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Caramel Layer STOVE TOP:
- 1 cup butter
- 2¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 pound
- 1 cup honey
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
OR Caramel Layer MICROWAVE METHOD:
- 1-1/4 sticks butter 10 tablespoons
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
Chocolate Layer:
- 12 ounce bag dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet, about 2 cups
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make the shortbread by combining the butter and sugar and beating until fluffy with a mixer. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour and salt, mixing just until incorporated. Press into a 9 x 13-in pan and use a fork to prick the dough at 1-inch intervals. Bake until golden around the edges, 18-22 minutes.
- TO MAKE HOMEMADE CARAMEL:
- Stove Top Method (using the first caramel ingredient list): melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, honey, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning (seriously!!).
- Use a candy themometer to heat the caramel to 240 degrees (soft ball stage). This will take a total of 10 to 15 minutes to boil and reach 240 degrees- so settle in for some stirring (take it from me- don't try to do anything else, just turn the tunes up and stir away...). Once the themometer reaches 240, turn the heat down slightly to keep the caramel at the 240 stage for 2 full minutes (keeping the caramel at the soft ball stage ensures you will have soft candy and not hard caramel that will break apart). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Place the coconut in a large bowl and pour 2/3* of the caramel over the coconut; mix together thoroughly.
- Microwave Method (using the second caramel ingredient list): Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl (like a glass 8-cup measure or larger). Add sugar, honey, milk, and salt - still well. Microwave on full power for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Test for soft-ball stage: drop a tiny amount into a cup of cold tap water and if a soft ball forms it's done (you'll be able to roll it with your fingers). If not, cook another 1-2 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't overflow. Stir in vanilla and coconut.
- Spread the caramel-coconut mixture over the shortbread layer.
- Melt the chocolate and spread over the caramel layer. If you want to make the chocolate pretty, run a knife through the chocolate at 1-inch intervals width-wise, then again length-wise for a chevron effect.
- Let cool completely (overnight is best) before cutting into small squares (I cut into 8 x 6) and freeze or store in airtight containers.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: this recipe was originally published in 2010 and has been updated with all new photos, a lower-sugar caramel option, new formatting, and printable recipe.
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