Frosted Coconut Sugar Cookie Bars

Soft coconut sugar cookie bars topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut. 

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you have an exciting weekend in the works. I’m planning to go for a hike with my mom, have a date night with my husband, and a squeeze in a trip to Whole Foods (one of my favorite places!). Before I get started on the weekend, I’m stopping in with a recipe for Frosted Coconut Sugar Cookie Bars!!

Who doesn’t love a sugar cookie? I made this tasty twist on sugar cookies by adding coconut! These soft sugar cookie bars have shredded coconut baked right into them. They are topped with a homemade vanilla cream cheese frosting and a generous sprinkling of sweetened shredded coconut. If you’re a fan of toasted coconut you could totally top your cookie bars with that (see below).

This recipe is rather simple. You prepare the cookie dough, press it into a pan, and bake it. There’s no rolling/scooping/portioning individual cookies. Once cooled, you spread the frosting on the bars and sprinkle with coconut. This recipe makes a 9×13 pan, and these babies are quite sweet, so you could definitely cut them smaller than what I have pictured.

I must stress this point – Do not over bake these bars. They should still look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven. They will firm up once they cool. We want soft and tender bars, not dry and crumbly bars. I take my soft cookie bars very seriously. 😉

And what about all you coconut haters out there? Are you still reading? If so, thank you! Here’s a coconut-free version of Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars. I’ve got ya covered.

Have a delicious weekend! If you need me I’ll be licking this bowl clean. 😉

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Frosted Coconut Sugar Cookie Bars

Soft coconut sugar cookie bars topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and sweetened shredded coconut.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 15 +

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Bars:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 egg white at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon heaping sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons half and half or cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut for topping (toasted, if desired)

Instructions

For the bars:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg white, sour cream and extracts and beat until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture might look slightly curdled.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup coconut. With your mixer on low, add flour to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined, being careful not to over mix. The dough will be thick.
4. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and use your fingers to evenly press it into the pan. I moisten my fingers with a little water to help make pressing the dough into the pan a little easier. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the top appears dry and the edges are just starting to turn light brown. Rotate the pan halfway through the baking time. Make sure not to over bake these, as they will continue to cook a little after you remove them from the oven. When you remove them from the oven they should not be completely done. Place the pan on a rack to cool completely before frosting them.

For the frosting:

1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat to combine. Add half and half and extracts and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat for another minute or two, until light and fluffy. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread the frosting over the bars. Top with 1 cup shredded coconut (toasted and cooled, if desired). Cut into bars. Store and serve at room temp.

Recipe Notes

These bars are quite sweet, so I like to cut them fairly small.

To toast coconut (for the topping): Place sweetened shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Watch it closely so that it doesn't burn.