Shelly's Recipe

CHOCOLATE COCONUT BARS

Category: Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips (If you don't like or have any white chocolate chips, just increase the semisweet chocolate chips by 1/4 cup)

Optional Topping
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut or other nut of your choosing

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving extra so it hangs up and over the edges of the pan. Spray the paper with some Pam or butter lightly.

Combine milk and graham cracker crumbs and mix together until well combined. I used my stand mixer on medium speed for about a minute, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl once.

Add coconut and mix until well combined. Scrape bowl. Add both chocolate chips and mix on low speed just until they are well combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread until even (batter will be very thick). Bake for 30 minutes. Be careful not to over bake them.

If you want to add the topping, when bars are done, remove pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate chips over the top, if desired. Let it sit for about a minute, until the chocolate is melted and spread the chocolate around the surface until the top of the bars evenly covered. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle coconut over the top. Let the bars cool completely and then put in the fridge until you're ready to cut them.

To cut them, use the parchment paper to pick them up and out of the pan. (Note: If you don't have any parchment, use wax paper, tin foil, or you can just grease the pan and hope for the best. These can be a little tricky to get out of the pan without the aid of the paper.) Using a very sharp knife, cut bars into the desired length. Store in an air tight container.