shredded sweetened coconut

Lemon bars are all about contrast: sour lemon and sweet sugar, crumbly base and creamy topping, buttery crust and tart filling. Two common ingredients lift this recipe above the pack: baking powder for a fluffy filling and shredded coconut for a rich, round-tasting crust. (Once baked, the coconut flavor almost disappears.)  Bakers who avoid preservatives will find an easy version of homemade sweetened coconut in the tip below the recipe.) For thicker lemon squares, use the square baking pan; for thinner ones, the large rectangle. For an easy lemon tart, simply cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8-inch round tart pan, pressing the crust up the sides.

Best Lemon Bars

all-purpose flour

225 grams very cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into small chunks

sweetened shredded coconut (see note)

confectioners' sugar, more for sprinkling

salt

granulated sugar

eggs

120 milliliters lemon juice

baking powder

Make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch or 9-by-9-inch baking pan, preferably nonstick.

In a stand mixer or food processor, combine crust ingredients. Mix or pulse until well combined and moist clumps form. Using your hands, press mixture evenly but gently into prepared pan.

Bake crust until edges and top are light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate once for even browning.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.

Pour filling over hot parbaked crust and return to the oven. Bake until filling is almost set, about 20 minutes more. (Thicker squares, baked in the 9-by-9-inch pan, will take longer.) Start checking after 15 minutes; when you give the pan a gentle shake, filling should be lightly set all over and still quivery in the very center.

Let lemon bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle the top lightly and evenly with confectioners' sugar.

Cut into squares, diamonds or rectangles and remove from pan. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If desired, sprinkle again with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Bursting with pure lemon flavor, this classic dessert is a picnic-table standout.

Lemon Bars

This fluffy, old-school diner classic is so good, Obama asks for it by name.

Triple Coconut Cream Pie

For the Coconut Pastry Crust:

coconut

(1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch dice

sugar

water,

For the Coconut Pastry Cream:

milk

canned, unsweetened coconut milk, stirred

vanilla bean, split

room-temperature, unsalted butter

For the Whipped Cream:

heavy cream,

vanilla extract

For Serving:

unsweetened chip or large-shred coconut (about 1½ cups), coconut

chocolate

Make Seattle's Most Famous Pie

This is a rich, special-occasion cake that takes the traditional Southern coconut cake to another level, with ground toasted pecans in the batter and an easy-to-make Chantilly cream for frosting. It has become the signature dessert for Dolester Miles, who serves slices over a little puddle of crème anglaise at Chez Fonfon and Bottega, and sometimes at the Highlands Bar & Grill, the Birmingham, Ala., restaurants owned by Frank and Pardis Stitt. Assembly can be a challenge, so she suggests building the cake by stacking the delicate slabs of cake with filling in between each layer into a deep, round cake pan, then slipping it into the refrigerator for about an hour. The filling acts like a delicious glue. When the cake is inverted and unmolded, the edges have an even, professional appearance.

Dolester Miless Coconut Pecan Cake

pecan halves, toasted

all-purpose flour,

unsalted butter

coconut extract

coconut milk

sweetened condensed milk

cream of coconut

sweetened shredded coconut

heavy cream

confectioners’ sugar

sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper, then dust with flour, tapping out excess.

Finely grind the coconut in a food processor, then transfer to a bowl. Add pecans to the food processor, along with 2 tablespoons sugar, and finely grind them.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in coconut and pecans.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, cream of coconut and the remaining sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary, then beat in coconut extract.

Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the coconut milk, starting and ending with flour mixture. Divide batter between the pans and smooth the top of each with a spatula. Bake until cakes are golden and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake, invert onto rack, and remove the parchment. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Place egg yolks in a small heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, combine condensed milk, butter and cream of coconut and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until hot, about 4 minutes. Whisk 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg yolks. Transfer egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until mixture has the consistency of pudding, about 4 minutes. Do not let the custard get too thick. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the shredded coconut. Let cool completely.

Make the simple syrup: In a saucepan, heat sugar and 1/2 cup water, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.

Assemble the layer cake in a pan: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one layer in the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan, moisten the top with 2 to 3 tablespoons simple syrup and spread 1/2 cup of the coconut filling in a thin, even layer with an offset spatula. Repeat to make 2 more layers of cake and filling, then place the last layer on top. Refrigerate cake for about 1 hour. To unmold, run a spatula around the edges, invert a cake plate over the top, and flip the cake over onto the plate.

Make the icing: Whip the cream with the confectioners’ sugar and coconut extract until stiff peaks form. Spread on the top and sides of the cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Learn how to make the triple coconut cream pie from Tom Douglas's Dahlia Bakery in Seattle.

Best Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Make the coconut pastry crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, coconut, diced butter, sugar and salt. Pulse to form coarse crumbs. Gradually add the water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing each time. Use only as much water as need for the dough to hold together when gently pressed between your fingers. Don't work the dough with your hands; just test to see if it is holding. (The dough will not form a ball or even clump together in the processor—it will still be quite loose.) 2. Place a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and dump the coconut dough onto it. Pull the plastic wrap around the dough forcing it into a rough flattened round with the pressure of the plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling.

To roll the dough, unwrap the round of coconut dough and put it on a lightly floured board. Flour the rolling pin and your hands. Roll the dough out into a circle about ⅛ inch thick. Occasionally lift the dough with a board scraper to check that it is not sticking and add more flour if it seems like it's about to stick. Trim to a 12-to-13-inch circle.

Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Ease the dough loosely and gently into the pan. You don't want to stretch the dough at this point, because it will shrink when it is baked. Trim any excess dough to a 1-to-1½-inch overhang. Turn the dough under along the rim of the pie pan and use your fingers and thumb to flute the edge. Chill the unbaked pie shell for at least 15 to 20 minutes while the oven preheats.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place a piece of parchment in the pie shell, with sides overhanging the pan, and fill with dried beans. (This step prevents the bottom of the shell from puffing up during baking.) Bake the piecrust for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry rim is golden. Remove the pie pan from the oven. Remove the paper and beans and return the piecrust to the oven. Bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottom of the crust has golden-brown patches. Remove from the oven and allow the pie shell to cool completely.

Make the coconut pastry cream: Combine the milk, coconut milk and shredded coconut in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Use a paring knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the scrapings and the pod to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs by pouring a small amount (about ⅓ cup) of the scalded milk into the egg mixture, while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut.

Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, about 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard the vanilla pod (or save for another use). Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over another bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools.

Make the whipped cream: Whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla to peaks that are firm enough to hold their shape.

Garnish the pie: Preheat the oven to 350º. Spread the coconut chips on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes, watching carefully and stirring once or twice until lightly browned, since coconut easily burns. Remove the coconut from the oven and allow to cool, then sprinkle over the top of the pie. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of the white chocolate into curls on top of the pie. If you prefer, you can cut the pie into wedges and put the wedges on plates, then garnish each wedge individually with coconut and white chocolate curls.

With a poundcake-like texture and zippy lemon flavor, this tender treat is loaded with grated citrus zest and topped with a sweet, mellow coconut frosting. Like many snacking cakes, it’s easily whisked together without a mixer, and quick to bake. Perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up, it goes as well with a glass of milk as it does with mugs of coffee, tea or hot cocoa.

Lemon Snacking Cake With Coconut Glaze

120 milliliters neutral oil,

lemons

sour cream

all-purpose flour

baking soda

fine sea salt

shredded sweetened coconut

coconut oil, melted

lemon zest,

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-9-inch pan, and then line with parchment paper, letting the two long ends hang over the edge of the pan by at least 2 inches.

Grate 2 tablespoons of zest from the lemons. Juice the lemons so you have 1/4 cup/60 milliliters juice. Add juice and zest to a medium bowl, then whisk in oil, sour cream, coconut milk and eggs.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk wet mixture into dry mixture until smooth.

Scrape batter into baking pan and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle evenly with shredded sweetened coconut. Bake until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely.

When cake is cool, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, oil and salt. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pour over the cake, and grate some lemon zest over the top. Let the glaze set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Dolester Miles’ Coconut Pecan Cake

This easy recipe turns a classic Southern coconut pie recipe into wonderfully chewy bar cookies with a shortbread crust. The chocolate chips are optional, but they add a bittersweet flavor that tones down the sugary coconut, especially if you use chocolate with a high cacao percentage (72 percent to 80 percent). Or, for something crunchier, use chopped pecans instead of chocolate.

Coconut Pie Bars

Unsalted butter,

unsalted butter, melted and cooled

coconut milk or whole milk

apple cider vinegar lemon juice

lemon

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square pan and line with parchment, leaving some overhanging.

In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt. Pulse in butter until crumbs form and the dough starts to come together. Press mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake until firm on top and lightly golden at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack. You can bake the crust up to 6 hours ahead, or use it while it’s still hot.

While the crust bakes, using the same food processor (no need to wash it out first), pulse together eggs, sugar, butter, coconut milk, vinegar or lemon juice, lemon zest (if using), vanilla and salt until well combined. Pulse in the coconut.

When the crust is baked, pour in the filling (crust can still be hot). Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is set when you jiggle it and the top is browned, 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then chill for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars and serve.

Top 7 shredded sweetened coconut recipes from across the web

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Best Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Lemon Snacking Cake With Coconut Gl...

Dolester Miles’ Coconut Pecan Cake

Coconut Pie Bars

Top 7 shredded sweetened coconut recipes from across the web

The most viewed shredded sweetened coconut recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Best Lemon Bars

Triple Coconut Cream Pie

Dolester Miless Coconut Pecan Cake

Best Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Lemon Snacking Cake With Coconut Gl...

Dolester Miles’ Coconut Pecan Cake

Coconut Pie Bars

The most viewed shredded sweetened coconut recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine