Gluten Free Coconut Brownie Bars Recipe

Another fun recipe from Fox Valley Today!  These will look great on a platter of St. Patrick's Day treats!

These are the bars in the middle with the green coconut.  Don't they look festive?!

SPH Gluten Free Coconut Brownie Bars
1 box Betty Crocker brownie mix, made according to package directions
EXCEPT
Use coconut extract instead of vanilla.  I used up the last of my homemade, which was about 1 1/2 tablespoons.  You can make your own, too, with this recipe from Alton Brown.

1 can Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract

1 cup coconut, tinted green (sweetened or not won't matter - use what you have on hand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease/spray a 9x13 pan.  By using such a large pan, this is what makes them into cookie bars, instead of brownies.  Spread batter evenly across bottom of the pan, and bake for about 12-15 minutes.  Check with a skewer - if it comes out clean, they're done.  Allow to cool completely

Meanwhile, beat extract into frosting.  Spread over cooled brownies.  Top with tinted coconut.  Cut into squares, and enjoy!

To tint coconut (and you can do this with any color you want - I just used green for St. Patrick's Day):  In a small glass jar, mix together 1 teaspoon of water and a scant 1/4 teaspoon liquid food color.  You can add more or less, depending on how deep you want the color.  And yes, use the liquid not the paste color if possible.  Way easier!  Put your coconut in a mixing bowl (either choose a metal bowl or a bowl that you don't mind getting stained), then pour water-color mixture in and stir til color is uniformly distributed.  While you are mixing, you can add more color a drop or two at a time, if needed.  Just keep in mind that you can always add color, you can't take it away, so start light and work your way up.  Also, over time the color gets darker as it absorbs and dries.

Tinted coconut is also a great decoration for the top of an Easter cake.  Use it to represent grass, add candy eggs, and maybe even a chocolate bunny!


Recipe linked to Very Good Recipes