Cocoamia Nut White Chocolate Bars

Cocodamia Nut White Chocolate Bars

I know there’s no such word as ‘cocodamia’, but work with me here. Coconut & macadamia got together and had a love child, who then hooked up with white chocolate. And these bars were born, in the tropics.

You’re basically going to take the recipe for Coconut Macaroons and stir in the nuts and chocolate. Throw it into a pan, bake it, and call it a day (after eating your share and then some). Another day’s hard work in the kitchen.

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (7 oz)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

5 cups Angel Flake coconut (or sweetened shredded) (equal to 1 4 oz. bag)

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped and lightly toasted

1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks
1. Preheat oven to 325° and line a 9 x 9″ baking pan with tin foil, greasing well with butter ornon-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, pour the sweetened condensed milk in and stir in the vanilla & almond extract (if using) until well combined.
3. Add coconut and stir until combined. Stir in macadamia nuts and white chocolate, and press gently into prepared pan (use wet hands to help with this sticky task).
4. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes (until golden on top) and cool on rack. Store and devour at room temperature.
Tips:
- Want it dairy-free? Just use the d-f recipe in this post, my milk-free friend. (The version above is gluten-free, FYI.)
- Toasting the nuts will be easier if you chop them first- that way you don’t have to wait for them to cool down before cutting. Put the nuts on a baking pan in the oven while it preheats, and check on them often to prevent burning. Take out of the oven when theystart to turn a light golden color.
- You want this to be moist, because no one likes to choke on dried coconut (like what will happen if you use dessicated coconut, so don’t do it). Flaked or shredded coconut is usually moist, so just use less if it feels like it’s a bit dry.
- Patting the coconut into the pan shouldn’t be an exercise in mashing with all your might. Gently press the mixture into the pan so it’s dense enough to cut into bars later, and try to leave some ‘unpressed’ coconut on the top. (In other words- don’t smooth out the top of the bars. Unless you want to, because maybe you’re planning on getting creative and spreading melted white chocolate overtop afterwards? Interesting idea.)
- Storage: these bars freeze well (I wrapped in heavy duty foil and then put in a freezer Ziploc bag), or you can leave at room temperature in an airtight container for a week or so. If you must.
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April 5th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Bars, Chocolate, Coconut, Gluten-Free, Nuts