Lemon Coconut White Chocolate Gooey Bars

A couple weeks ago I made Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars and they were so darn good. And so easy.

So I adapted that recipe and spun it into these lemony beauties. They’re like lemon bars on steroids. If you like lemon bars, you’re going to love these.

It’s an easy, 6-ingredient recipe that will be a hit with lemon and white chocolate lovers. While you can taste the coconut, it’s not overwhelming, but if you’re truly not a coconut fan you could likely omit it and shorten the baking time by about 5 minutes, but I’m just guessing because I haven’t personally tried.

The lemon base is soft and chewy, there’s coconut and white chocolate chips for extra texture, and sweetened condensed milk keeps them juicy and moist.

The bars start off with a box of lemon cake mix. If you don’t use cake mix or don’t have cake mix in your area, this may not be the recipe for you.

Don’t follow the directions on the box because you’re not making cake – you’re making gooey bars – so follow my directions below.

Because the bars will be loose and gooey as you take them out of the oven, make sure to allow them to cool for a few hours (overnight if you can plan ahead) if you want nice clean squares because they’re incredibly gooey right out of the oven.

If you don’t care about presentation then dive right in as soon as the heavenly scent of lemon, coconut, and white chocolate is too much to resist.

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Yield: one 9x9-inch pan, about 16 small squares

Lemon Coconut White Chocolate Gooey Bars

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

It’s an easy, 6-ingredient recipe that will be a hit with lemon and coconut lovers. The lemon base is soft and chewy, there’s coconut and white chocolate chips for extra texture, and sweetened condensed milk peeks through the top. Don’t follow the directions on the cake mix box because you’re not making cake – follow my directions. Because the bars will be loose and gooey as you take them out of the oven, make sure to allow them to cool for a few hours (overnight if you can plan ahead) if you want nice clean squares because they’re incredibly gooey right out of the oven.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very soft
• one 16.50-ounce box lemon cake mix
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• about 60% of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (use about 8 ounces, I use fat-free)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×9-inch pan with aluminum foil (strongly recommended for easier cleanup) and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2. To a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the cake mix, egg, and beat on low speed to combine. The batter will be very thick. If it seems crumbly after beating for a few minutes, it will likely come together if you squeeze it with your fingers.
4. Add between half and two-thirds of the dough to the prepared pan to form an even, smooth base layer (I used my hands); set remaining dough aside.
5. Evenly sprinkle the coconut over the dough.
6. Evenly sprinkle the white chocolate chips.
7. Evenly drizzle with about 60% of the can (about 8 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk; just eyeball it.
8. Add the rest of the dough in approximately 1-inch pieces over the sweetened condensed milk, lightly pressing it down. You won’t have complete coverage; this is okay.
9. Bake for about 27 to 30 minutes or until edges are set and the center is mostly set; it’s okay if it’s a little jiggly. I judged the doneness by looking at the edges and as they turned light golden brown, I removed the pan from the oven. Because coconut and white chocolate are prone to burning, keep a close eye on the bars in the final minutes of baking. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for at least 2 to 3 hours (overnight is better) or until bars have firmed up enough to cut. Bars are best fresh but will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Adapted from Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 156mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 5g

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