Grape Jelly Coconut Peanut Bars
This delightful dessert came about because I hate to waste stuff. I found myself with an open jar of grape jelly. It was far more than I could use up on toast. I started looking around and found a number of recipes for using them in cookie bars. I used those recipes as inspiration for the bars I ended up making. I took some to a friend’s house and got some very positive feedback.
The crust is a simple shortbread dough, topped with grape jelly, peanuts and shredded coconut. Some recipes added eggs and other seasonings. I kept mine pretty simple. Some called for pre-baking the crust a little, but I opted not to and they baked up just fine. You could certainly add more nuts or coconut. You could use any flavor of jelly or jam, too.
Grape Jelly Coconut Peanut Bars
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. sugar
½ t salt
½ c. butter, room temp
1 c. grape jelly
1 c. peanuts
1 c. flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×9 pan and set aside. Mix the flour, sugar and salt together, then work in the butter. Mixture might be a little crumbly. Pat the crust evenly into bottom of the baking dish. Spread the jelly over the top of the crust evenly. Sprinkle peanuts on top of the jelly , then top with the coconut. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. You should see a little bit of color around the edge of the crust. Remove and cool completely, then slice and serve! These freeze well.
Aunt Josie’s Coconut Bars
My Aunt Josie used to make these coconut bars for almost every family party. They were a favorite of mine when I was a kid and they are a favorite of mine now. The bars are made from white cake that is cut up and frozen. The frozen cake is dipped in a chocolate sauce and then dipped in desiccated coconut. Desiccated coconut is the same kind of coconut used for coconut shrimp. It looks like panko bread crumbs and is not sweetened. I get mine at the local Asian grocery store.
The result is a cake that is tender and delicate and full of flavor. I sometimes make cupcakes instead of a sheet cake that I cut up. Either will work just fine. You can also make a gluten free cake, if you prefer.
Every time I make these, I think of my Aunt Josie.
Coconut Bars
1 white cake, prepared and frozen solid
1 c. cocoa
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 t. vanilla
1-1½ c. desiccated coconut (available at cake supply stores, Asian stores and some health food stores)
Cut frozen cake into small squares, or cake can be baked in regular or mini cupcake tins. You can also cut the cake into squares before freezing. Keep cake frozen until ready to dip. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients, except coconut in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. This can be done a day ahead, if you like, and sauce stored in fridge until ready to use.
Using skewers or fondue forks, dip cake in sauce, let drain a few seconds, then roll in the coconut. Can be served almost right away. They thaw very quickly. You can refreeze them to enjoy later, too.
