Lime Frosted Coconut Bars — The tropical flavors of lime and coconut infused both the bars and the frosting! White chocolate chips are studded throughout the bars to add a subtle sweetness to offset the tangy lime.
Tropical Frosted Coconut Lime Bars
If you feel like sending your taste buds on a tropical vacation, you can. Just make these better-than-Starbucks lime frosted coconut bars. (And they’re perfect for Cinco de Mayo, too!)
I glazed the bars with a simple confectioners’ sugar and lime juice glaze, and then topped with coconut. The glaze seeps into the bars and makes them even moister.
The extra bit of lime juice in the glaze really boosts the overall lime flavor, which is pleasantly bold and tart. When it comes to lime or lemon bars, I prefer a prominent zing to muted and subtle.
And by using both lime juice and zest in the batter, and with the lime glaze, there’s plenty of lime pop.
The bars are super soft with ample texture from the coconut and white chocolate chips. They’re dense, rich, and not cakey or crumbly.
The shredded coconut adds texture and a smooth tropical flavor, without being overdone. Coconut can easily dominate a flavor profile, but it’s nicely balanced.
There’s something about the flavor combo of lime and coconut that just makes me crave beach parties, warm weather, and letting the good times roll.
Throw in a little white chocolate and some sweet-and-tangy glaze, and I’m totally set!
Ingredients in Coconut Lime Bars
This is a super straightforward recipe that requires minimal ingredients. To make the lime frosted coconut bars, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Lime juice and zest
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Sweetened shredded coconut
- Salt
- White chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Lime Frosted Coconut Bars
The bars loosely follow my trusty blondies recipe that I’ve used in at least 20+ adaptations. I love the base recipe because the batter comes together in one bowl, without a mixer, in 5 minutes.
- Make the bars: In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter.
- Add the egg, brown sugar, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- Add the coconut and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined.
- Add the white chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Turn batter out into a foil-lined 8×8-inch pan. Bake for about 30 minutes.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, add powdered sugar, lime juice, and whisk until smooth.
- Evenly pour glaze over bars, smoothing it lightly with a spatula as necessary.
- Evenly sprinkle about 1 cup coconut over the top before slicing and serving.
FAQs
That probably would be fine, although I haven’t personally tried it so I can’t speak from personal experience. However, you’d need to double the ingredients and bake the bars in a 9×13-inch pan.
I imagine so! Simply swap out the flour for a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. The bars aren’t meant to rise up tall and fluffy, so the GF alternative should work.
You must use shredded SWEETENED coconut flakes. Do not use unsweetened coconut flakes or the bars will not be sweet enough.
Tips for Making Coconut Lime Bars
- If you plan on freezing some of these bars, I recommend freezing them without the glaze for best results.
- I love the pairing of sweet white chocolate with coconut and lime, but you could use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips too.
- Be sure to use both lime juice and zest in the bars, as instructed. Lime juice alone won’t provide as powerful of a lime flavor.
Pin This Recipe
Lime Frosted Coconut Bars
The tropical flavors of lime and coconut infused both the bars and the frosting! White chocolate chips are studded throughout the bars to add a subtle sweetness to offset the tangy lime.
Ingredients
Bars
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 to 2 medium ripe limes)
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes, measured loosely
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Lime Glaze
- about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- about 2 tablespoons lime juice, or as necessary
- about 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, sprinkled
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, lime juice (I used closer to 1/3 cup), lime zest, vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- Add the coconut and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Add the white chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for about 30 minutes before glazing.
Lime Glaze
- In a medium bowl, add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and whisk until smooth. As necessary, add additional lime juice (or sugar) to reach desired glaze consistency. Glaze should be fairly thin and easily pourable over the bars.
- Evenly pour glaze over bars, smoothing it lightly with a spatula as necessary.
- Evenly sprinkle about 1 cup coconut over the top before slicing and serving.
Notes
Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 2gSugar: 38gProtein: 3g
More Easy Coconut Desserts:
Gooey Lemon Coconut Bars — If you like traditional lemon bars, you’ll LOVE this EASY recipe for soft, chewy, and oh-so-gooey lemon bars!! Loaded with white chocolate and coconut!!
Hummingbird Cake — A super SOFT and moist cake with bananas, pineapple, coconut, cream cheese frosting, and pecans!! Makes a huge cake that’ll feed a crowd!
Pineapple Coconut Bars — Eat your piña colada rather than drinking one with these fast, EASY, no-mixer bars that taste TROPICAL!! Pineapple, coconut, white chocolate, and cherries!!
“Impossible” Coconut Pie — A one-bowl, no-mixer pie with a short ingredients list that is SO easy to make and forms three different LAYERS while it bakes!! Mindlessly easy, goof-proof, and coconut lovers will go crazy for this MAGIC pie!!
Chocolate Coconut Brownies — Like eating a Mounds candy bar that’s on top of rich, fudgy brownies!! Easy and oh so good!!
Another hit! No surprise, because I have had great success with many of your recipes. My only substitution was ghiradelli dark chocolate chips because I didn’t have any white chocolate chips Thanks once again!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a hit and that you’ve had success with my other recipes too! :)
I just made this for the second time,adding some chopped macadamia nuts. Delicious!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you’ve made this twice now and I’m sure the mac nuts were a wonderful addition!
Hi Averie,
I love your desserts and I am going to give this one a try!
Do you think I can double the recipe and bake it in a 9 x 13 pan?
Thanks!
Probably would be fine, although I haven’t personally tried doubling in a 9×13 pan so can’t speak from personal experience.
Wow!, looks very delicious, making me feel hungry. Surely, it’s delicious with my all-time favorite “shredded coconut” ingredient on it!
I made these last week, they were AMAZING – so easy to make and very zingy, thanks!
I’m so glad to hear that you loved them! Zingy indeed :) Thanks for trying the recipe!
I’m loving all of these lime recipes from you! Especially this one. Coconut, lime, and white chocolate are divine together!! :) Pinned!
You know I don’t usually like white chocolate….but when I do its with coconut and something tart like limes ;) This is the perfect dessert that just brings all those things together
Seriously where is everyone finding these limes?! It’s like GA is the only State with a shortage or something! Rock hard and $1.50 each! It’s practically a crime….
Especially when you post something as delicious as coconut lime bars…it’s just too cruel! These looks delicious and as soon as I get my hands on some limes that cost a small fortune, I’ll be making it!!
ps- I posted your cream cheese chocolate chip cookie recipe today. I hope you got the link back but sometimes it doesn’t work. silly internet. Anyways, they were TO DIE FOR. I now want to put cream cheese in everything!
Never got that ping but off to see it now :) Glad you loved them!
And others have written about these pricey limes. Mine are 49 cents each at TJs and sometimes I can get 3 for a buck at the reg. groc store. If they are more than that, I wouldn’t buy them! $1.50 each for non-juicy limes sounds like highway robbery! ugh!
I love that you get to go to Aruba and make amazing desserts like this. Keep the lime recipes coming – I love them!
Oh if only coconut were really so easy. I have so many coconut haters in my life it saddens me. Thanks for the coconut fix while they weren’t looking. GREG
I know, there are total coconut haters out there. They’re crazy :)
These look so summery and luscious, Averie! I’d love to bake up a batch for my upcoming BBQ!
These bars look incredible! I am totally obsessed with coconut and love lime anything so this combo sounds perfect to me! I can’t wait to try it – thanks for sharing another stellar recipe Averie :) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Kelly!
Love these photos – so pretty! And love this combo too!
Wow, these look amazing! I love anything with coconut!
I’ll take one of these with one of those margaritas you shared the other day. What a great recipe. I’m totally digging these bars. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Julie!
Now these bars certainly are a vacation!! Pinned :)
Thanks for pinning and I wish we were on vacation somewhere with lime and coconut and tropical breezes :)
I really thought that slab in the first picture was one serving … don’t burst my bubble and tell me otherwise :) I am loving this white chocolate/citrus combo! I need to try it asap. Love the coconut, too! Three of my favorites all in one bar!
I’m totally loving your lime recipe kick! I tend to think of lemons and oranges when it comes to citrus, but rarely lime… The pairing with white chocolate and coconut sounds so tropical and absolutely irresistible! And your plates are so pretty. Where do you find them all??
These plates are in my house in Aruba. When I’m there, I find plates at the most random places. Usually Asian markets and they’re super cheap. Like 2 bucks each. When I’m in San Diego, thrift stores, Anthropologie, ebay, etsy, all over :)
I wish plates were that cheap here! I need to go thrift store shopping more often, but there just aren’t very many where I live. Aka, umm, 1 that I know of. That’s what I get for living in a college town; everything is dominated by Target and Walmart instead!
This must be delicious! Pinned it:)
Thanks for pinning!
Averie I’m loving the lime recipes! I could totally eat a pan of these bars with a pitcher of your all natural margaritas! And while I’m at it I might as well have a few of your key lime bars too!
Glad you like all the lime recipes!
This sounds right up my alley. I’m a big citrus fan, and it pairs so beautifully with coconut and white chocolate. Yay! Pinned and planning on making it this summer!
Love your tropical twist on these bars!
Averie, I’ve just come to love the taste of lime and coconut recently. I don’t know where I’ve been… I must get out more, maybe! But, I am loving how you created these decadent bars!
Yes to tropical vacations!!!!! My imagination has gone into overdrive. That is what happens when you read a food blog right before lunch. Sigh. Wonderful combo of ingredients. Now let’s talk about all those limes and margarita makings you have laying around your house. What did you say your address is?
Lol
LOL well I made these while I was in Aruba and I wish I was back there right now putting all those limes to good use :)
Absolutely delicious sounding!
A taste of the tropics! These bars look fantastic. I also prefer a strong citrus zing. Love the combination of white chocolate and coconut.
Yes, please! The flavors combo sounds fabulous! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and for your FB note :)
I’m loving all of these flavors here. I don’t think I could just eat one of these bars ;)!!
Lime and white chocolate is a great combination. I need to get some white chocolate chips. I tend to forget about them, but I love them every time I eat them, so i’m not really sure why.
I’d skip the coconut on these, because…yeah.
I know you’re not a coconut fan like this and even for me, I have to be careful b/c it can get to be too much texture in a hurry but with the lime and the lime glaze, super good :)
How fun! You can’t go wrong with a lime and coconut flavor combo!
This looks so delicious – so very moist… Such a great way of using your left over lime… :)
Now THIS is what I’m talking about!! I’d put that glaze on just about everything!
Todd it was so good! The tangy-ness was just perfect!
Oh my, I’m drooling. I am so addicted to lime right now and I could eat it ALL!
You and me both. Except Ive been doing more drinking of it than eating of it :)
Craving lime now! Adding to my “must make NOW” list–thanks for the inspiration! :-)
CHEERS! This is fiesta turned dessert. Love it!
My taste buds need a tropical vacation because spring is not happening. These bars look fantastic. Lime and coconut go so well together.
Hope it warms up for you!!
These look amazing! I love the combo of flavours!
These look and sound incredible! I love the idea if coconut and lime together! Sounds amazing. I make a lemon glaze like this over my shortbread but I’ve got to try it with lime too now!
It’s a great glaze. Just tart, sweet, and so good!
These look so moist..luv the combo of lime and coconut…I think a margarita would be the perfect companion.
Yes to wash it down with, for sure :)
These bars makes me want to jump on a plane, head somewhere sunny, sip margaritas and scoff these bars
You and me both :)
Cinco-de-Mayo perfection, for sure. I love the coconut/lime combo!
You gotta love a good one-bowl recipe. These bars look amazing. I love the bright flavor of limes.
Bright flavors – yes! You’re so right!
it just makes me want to sing, Put a lime in the coconut! LOL! I love these bars of pure goodness! So delicious
mmm! these are like a tropical getaway but in a cake bar. With the weather cooling down in Australia I am looking for recipe that restore some sun shine to the days. That texture is perfect!
While I might be a full on fan of white choc the limes and coconut are enough to sway me to make these.
I hope these are your last hurrah of summer kind of bar. I always forget you guys are opposite of us!
Oh, man these bars look AMAZING. I love tropical flavored desserts any time, but especially this time of year when the weather starts getting warmer and all the citrus fruit is on sale. :D These bars are calling out to me— I love how dense, moist, and non-cakey they look and I’ll bet they have a full-on lime flavor from the bar itself and that lovely lime icing! pinned.
Non-cakey and dense for sure. Full on tropical-ness indeed! Thanks for pinning :)
This makes ME want to jump on a flight to Aruba, too. Coconut+lime is one of my favorite flavor combos. I love the easy factor of these, too!
Easy, the way to go. You know it mama :)
I’ve never had a lime shortbread bar but these look amazing and so creative. I love every element in them and undoubtedly felt a tropical vibe from the title….I can see why they’d make you want to head back to Aruba! I think Jon would like these too–we love our chocolate and PB but something citrusy sounds refreshing.
Make him some margaritas to wash these down with :) After that margarita post, I had so many limes, Paula! They were so cheap. Like 6 or so for about 2 bucks and I was well-stocked :) PB & C is great but now that the weather is warmer, something about fruity is nice!
These bars might just take me on that vaca to Key West I’m been thinking about.
Usually, I just look up sunny vacation pictures in the Caribbean on my computer for that “free” getaway, but coconut and lime seems to have the same effect on me. And making these is much cheaper than the airfare =)
Oh they are so Key West, you’re right! I can hear Jimmy Buffet now :)
These look amazing! I love coconut and I love lime :-) These are pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Chloe!
These look delicious! I love citrus desserts and these look like a must to try!
Thanks for the recipe and your pictures-beautiful as always!!
Thanks for the photo compliments, Janet. I appreciate it!
Yum yum yum! I’m sold. Especially as the recipe seems so easy (I’ve yet to try it so we’ll see how that turns out..!) xxx