These soft and gooey bars feature three delicious layers: shortbread cookie crust, caramel coconut filling, and a milk chocolate drizzle. This recipe is inspired by Samoas Girl Scout cookies. Pssst….our version is even better.
You know I love, love, love bar desserts. They’re quick to make, easy to serve, and the flavor possibilities are endless (see peanut butter bars, chocolate pecan bars, and lemon blueberry bars). These caramel coconut bars were an immediate favorite!
Jump to:
These caramel coconut bars are
Three layers: Shortbread crust, caramel coconut filling, chocolate topping.
Chewy and gooey: Thanks to a brown sugar-caramel and shredded coconut.
Sweet and buttery: These bars are rich and decadent. A little goes a long way.
A make ahead dessert: These bars require several hours to cool, so this is a great treat to make in advance.
Easy: Even with three different layers this recipe comes together quickly and easily.
Recipe overview: three parts
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Crust: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, salt, and flour until crumbly. Press the mixture into a lined 8×8 pan and bake for 15 minutes.
Filling: Combine butter, brown sugar, cream, honey and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for two minutes. Stir in vanilla and shredded coconut.
Assembly: Pour the filling over the partially baked crust and return to the oven for about 12 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
Topping: Melt chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars.
Behind the recipe testing
I love Samoas Girl Scout cookies (Thin Mints, too) but I felt like they could be made even better. Here’s how I got to work on these Samoas-inspired bars:
- Bars instead of cookies: Bars are much easier to prepare than individual cookies.
- Stick with a shortbread cookie crust: This crust is a touch softer and more buttery than the Girl Scout version.
- Extra caramel coconut filling: I wanted an ooey-gooey filling that was packed with buttery caramel and lots of shredded coconut.
- Chocolate topping: I tested this recipe with semisweet, bittersweet, and milk chocolate. My taste testers all agreed that milk chocolate was our favorite. We skipped dipping the bottom into chocolate (although feel free to do so!) and drizzled it on top.
- Sweet and salty balance: Although the traditional is cookie is good, we found them to be sooooo sweet. I was sure to balance out the sweetness with salt in the crust and filling, as well as a sprinkle of flaky finishing salt on top of the bars.
Serving and storage
These are bars are best served at room temperature or slightly chilled. The colder the bars are the more firm they will be.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Recipe
Caramel Coconut Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (70g) brown sugar, light or dark
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (157g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
Filling:
- 6 tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¾ cup (156g) brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup (60g) heavy cream
- scant ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (105g) sweetened shredded coconut*
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
- ¾ cup (125g) milk chocolate chips
- flaky finishing salt, optional
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8×8 metal baking pan with foil or parchment paper and lightly grease it.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, salt, and flour for several minutes until crumbly but combined. The mixture should hold together if you press it between your fingertips. Dump into the prepared pan and press into an even layer (I use the bottom of a measuring cup). Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, proceed with the filling.
Filling:
- Place butter, brown sugar, honey, cream, and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is simmering with bubbles throughout. Simmer for two minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and coconut.
- Pour the filling over the crust and smooth into an even layer. Return to the oven for 12 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Topping:
- Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave. Be sure to do this very slowly so the chocolate doesn't seize. Add the melted chocolate to a piping bag or ziptop bag. Snip the very corner off and drizzle the chocolate over the bars in a zigzag pattern. Note: I like to cut the bars before adding the chocolate. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Allow a couple hours for the chocolate to firm up.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Jenn says
OHYMYGOSH YUM!!!! I have been craving samoas ever since we ran out of girl scout cookies and these def fit that craving!
Marsha says
These bars are absolutely irresistible! So good!
Hina says
Can I make the crust in advance keep in refrigerator and then bake it later
Allison says
That should be ok.
Rindy Sicard says
Can you advise a substitute for heavy cream
Allison says
You can use half and half.
Hina says
Can I make the crust day before and make the filling later
Allison says
That should be fine.
Jeanette says
I have made these several times. I even took the recipe to Oregon to make them when I visited my mother and brother and sis in law. They needed the recipe after having a couple of squares. 🙂 I add about 3/4 cup of pecan or walnuts to the filling. I love nuts in my baked goods. I’m making again tonight to bring to work.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂
Andie says
This recipe is too sweet and the butter ratio is off. I used the recipe by weight.
Allison Mattina says
Sorry to hear that. How is the butter ratio off? Too much or too little? I double checked it and it is correct.
Debra says
Can I add 1 1/4 cups of toasted coconut in place of the regular coconut? (I would also cut the toasted coconut into smaller pieces as well.)
Allison says
Hi, Debra. Sure! I think that would taste great. Enjoy!
Susan says
Instead of chopping the shredded coconut, can I just use flaked coconut, or will that ruin the texture?
Allison says
That might work but I haven’t tried. I’d recommend crushing the flaked coconut so the pieces aren’t so large.
Susan Armstrong says
Delicious. Chopping the coconut was a good idea.
Allison Mattina says
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Jen says
10/10 these are incredibly addicting! The shortbread part is to die for. I think next time I’ll use dark chocolate to drizzle because I don’t love how sweet the milk chocolate is,but other than that these are insane 🙂
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂