Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars



Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars.  Or, technically, Dark Chocolate Mounds Bar Bars. But that seemed a bit redundant. I was inspired to make these while eating a Grilled Salmon over Mixed Greens salad, simultaneously staring into the pastry case at our local favorite bakery, A Taste of Scandinavia.  Sometimes I try to be good, but I just can't. Inside the pastry case were hand-sized "Candy Bar" cookies with dark chocolate and coconut. I decided I could make these at home.


I started with one entire bag of Miniature Mounds bars…..


I chopped them into eighths, still leaving them chunky.


Into my favorite cookie dough batter, 
I mixed one bag of chocolate chunks and one cup of shredded coconut.


I carefully folded in the Mounds Bars pieces, so as not to smush* them. 
*(Hmm…. according to autocorrect, smush is not a word!)

I baked the bars in a 1/2 sheet pan, which is the equivalent of two 9" x 13" cake pans which worked out perfectly since we had a BBQ with the In-Laws and and a Football Potluck all in the same day!


For good measure, I drizzled extra semi-sweet chocolate on top after I cut them into squares.

My husband, who hates coconut but loves 7-layer bars still thought these were pretty good.
My mom, who loves coconut but hates 7-layer bars thought these were excellent.





Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups butter or shortening (I like Earth Balance)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2  tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 11 ounce bag of mini Mounds Bars, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Directions:
Blend butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy again.  Add flour, baking soda and salt.  Beat until well mixed.  The dough will be stiff.  Add chocolate chunks, Mounds Bars, coconut and combine with a spoon.

For the bars, line a 1/2 sheet cake pan with parchment paper.  

Pat the dough into the pan evenly.  If the dough sticks to your fingers, put a plastic sandwich bag over your hand and spray the palm side with cooking spray.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

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