Dulce de Leche Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars
Serves 1
5 mins prep
25 mins cook
30 mins total
These rich, soft, gooey, five layer bars are a riff on Seven Layer Bars. They’re made with shredded coconut, chocolate and white chocolate chips, and rather than sweetened condensed milk, use dulce de leche. It’s thick, rich, caramely and available in many grocery stores, online, or make your own (see blog post). The recipe calls for half of one can, and the unused portion can be used as ice cream topping, smeared on toast, as a fruit dip, in your coffee or tea, or double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan, thereby using the whole can. The dulce de leche caramelizes and turns golden and bubbly, but keep an eye on bars and lower oven temp to 325F or tent pan with foil if yours is browning a bit too quickly or too much. The bars are a texture lovers’ dream, and they’re made in own bowl, no mixer, in less than 5 minutes. Cooling the bars overnight is recommended.
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Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside. Lining your pan is mandatory so bars don’t stick and for cleanup ease.
In a medium microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
Turn mixture out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and spreading mixture into corners.
Evenly sprinkle with white chocolate chips.
Evenly sprinkle with coconut.
Evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Pour or scoop out about half the can of dulce de leche and evenly spread it with a knife or spatula over the chocolate chips. Take your time and use a light hand as to not disturb the underneath layers. It doesn’t have to cover all crevices because it spreads some as it bakes.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dulce de leche is golden, bubbly, and bars show signs of being set around the edges. The coconut will look crispy at the edges. Because ovens, ingredients, and climates vary, use your judgment when your bars are done. Watch your bars, not the number on the clock. If at any time your dulce de leche layer seems to be browning too fast, turn your oven down to 325F and/or cover the pan with a sheet of foil.
Allow bars to set up for at least 2 hours, or overnight (strongly recommended), before slicing and serving. The butter in the base, the natural coconut oil, and the milkfat in the dulce de leche all seep out while baking, but reabsorb as the bars cool over time. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.