Chabon-Bon Bars, Now More Bon Than Before
Chocolate-covered gooey coconut on a brown sugar shortbread crust
Last year, writer Ayelet Waldman was my guest on The Secret Life of Cookies. There are few people on earth who take holiday cookie baking more seriously than Ayelet. She challenged me to create a chocolate-coconut bar cookie that would satisfy her husband’s craving. Her husband, Michael Chabon, is also one of my favorite authors, so I wasn’t about to say no.
The results were good, but on the Goldilocks scale, they ranked a “not quite right.” So this year I opted to try again. And while I’ll leave the final decision up to Ayelet, Michael and, of course, you folks, I think these are pretty darn great. The crumbly shortbread base is topped with a coconut filling that resembles a macaroon, but the ratio of coconut to condensed milk means the middle remains gooey. Ja, chocolate gets slathered on top, plus, if you want, crushed nuts like pecans or almonds make a nice extra.
Notes:
Remember to use sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk.
These freeze well.
I topped mine with a mixture of milk and semisweet chocolate, but milk, semisweet or dark (60%) would do nicely.
More Bon Chabon-Bon Bars
Yield: 1 13 x 9”pan’s worth. About 3 dozen 1 1/2” squares.
What You’ll Need:
For the shortbread base:
1 cup (226 grams/8 ounces) butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup (85 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup (180 grams) all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
For the coconut filling:
2 cups (211 grams) sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the chocolate top:
1 1/4 cups (200 grams) chopped chocolate (I used a mixture of semisweet and milk)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening or vegetable oil
What You’ll Do:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, mix together the butter, brown sugar, salt and vanilla for about 30 seconds, until combined and light. Scrape down the sides.
Sprinkle the flour and cornstarch over the butter mixture and pulse 8 to 10 times until the mixture begins to clump and resembles little pebbles.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and pat-a-pat the dough evenly across the pan and about 1/2” up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until light golden. While it’s baking, make the coconut filling.
In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and salt until nicely blended.
After the shortbread base is done, spread the coconut mixture over the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture has begun to bubble. It should still be pale in color. Set aside to cool.
When the coconut bars have cooled completely, make the chocolate topping. In a small microwave-safe proof bowl, mix the chocolate(s) and vegetable oil. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds, stir, give it another 30 second blast, then stir some more. If the chocolate isn’t melted by then, use 10-second bursts, stirring in between, to finish melting the chocolate. If you don’t have a microwave, melt over a double-boiler.
Spread the chocolate evenly over the coconut and set the pan aside until the chocolate has solidified.
Cut into squares, strips or diamonds. Keep in a cool place until ready to eat.
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Chocolate-covered gooey coconut on a brown sugar shortbread crust. I didn't need to read any further to know that I may not be sharing this once they're made. I also love the loaf of Calvin. I'm in the process of completing the paperwork to adopt a rescue cat. My holiday present to myself.
I finally made these and they are delightful! The recipe was much simpler than I anticipated (the words “food processor” always make me hesitate) and I’m thrilled to now know a little something about making shortbread. My husband said this morning that they are even better a day later, so of course I had to try for myself, and I agree! I took these to a birthday brunch and it was the perfect little sweet treat for Breakfast Dessert. (With coffee of course!)