Lemon Coconut Bars

My delicious lemon coconut bars have a sweet shortbread crust and a lovely blend of lemon and coconut flavors. This is perfect for any occasion!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword How Do I Make Lemon Coconut Bars, How To Make Lemon Coconut Bars, Lemon Coconut Bars, Lemon Coconut Bars Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 241kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup cold butter
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Lightly butter 9X13 inch baking dish; set aside.
Combine flour (1 1/2 cups), salt (a pinch), confectioners' sugar (1/2 cup), and butter (3/4 cup) in a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs (4), sugar (1 1/2 cups), lemon juice (1/2 cup), and baking powder (1 teaspoon) until well mixed. Pour over the crust; sprinkle coconut (3/4 cup) evenly over the top. Bake at 350ºF (177ºC) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Notes

Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice is the star of the show in this recipe. Please use fresh lemon juice, not the weird liquid in the yellow plastic lemon-shaped bottle.
No Food Processor? You can make the crust for these bars without one. You’ll need to cut the cold butter into small cubes or freeze it and grate it with a cheese grater. Then, use two butter knives, or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Stop as soon as it comes together in a crumble and press it into the pan. This is my favorite pastry blender because it’s made out of stainless steel, and the blades are sturdy, not flimsy.
Crust: We make a delicious shortbread crust to cradle the lemon coconut filling. Cutting the butter into the dry ingredients is imperative for a flaky crust.
Chill Time: This is necessary for the filling to set.
Make Them Zestier: If you’d like your bars to be a bit zestier, add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the batter. Here’s the microplaner I use to zest lemons. Be sure to rinse the lemons well before zesting.
Make Them Orange! This recipe is amazingly delicious when you switch the lemon juice with orange juice and make orange coconut bars. Limes are next on my list to experiment with! I can’t get enough citrus treats!
Add Almonds: As a variation, I sometimes add sliced almonds to the bars when I’m adding the coconut.
Easy Lift Out: If you’d like to make removing the bars from the pan easier, make a parchment paper sling.

- Cut a piece of parchment long enough to extend about 3 inches beyond the length of the baking dish.
- Lay the parchment in the pan so that it covers the bottom and goes up the sides. The excess parchment should hang over the edges of the pan.
- If the recipe directs you to, butter the parchment. Proceed with the recipe.

Nutrition