Dream Bars
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 7, 2011
Time
2½ hours, plus 2⅓ hours cooling
Yield
Makes 24 bars
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) dark brown sugar ½ cup pecans ¼ teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilledTopping
1 ½ cups (4½ ounces/128 grams) sweetened shredded coconut 1 cup cream of coconut 2 large eggs ¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup toasted and chopped pecansBefore You Begin
Spread the coconut mixture as evenly as possible over the pecan layer, but don’t worry if it looks patchy. Cream of coconut is available in the baking aisle alongside other coconut products.
Instructions
- PREPARE PAN Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Coat foil lightly with cooking spray.
- MAKE CRUST Process flour, sugar, pecans, and salt in food processor until pecans are coarsely ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture firmly into prepared baking pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack 20 minutes.
- MAKE TOPPING Combine coconut and cream of coconut in bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Stir in pecans, then spread filling over cooled crust. Dollop heaping tablespoons of coconut mixture over filling, then spread into even layer.
- BAKE AND COOL Bake until topping is deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars from pan and cut into 24 pieces. Serve. (Bars can be refrigerated in airtight container for 5 days.
Time
2½ hours, plus 2⅓ hours coolingYield
Makes 24 barsIngredients
Crust
Topping
Ingredients
Crust
Topping
Ingredients
Crust
Topping
Why This Recipe Works
Even the simplest recipes for Dream Bars we tested were too sweet for modern tastes, and the coconut and pecans all but disappeared because the sugar was so forward. To bring out the pecan flavor, we toasted the nuts until they were crunchy and rich. To prevent the shredded coconut from drying out, we turned to a surprising ingredient: cream of coconut. Soaking the shredded coconut in the cream, which has almost ten times as much sugar as coconut milk, resulted in a rich, moist topping that caramelized beautifully.
Since the topping was so sweet, we reduced the amount of brown sugar in our shortbread crust. Making the crust thicker and adding pecans to it also created a nutty density that helped counterbalance the sweet topping.
Before You Begin
Spread the coconut mixture as evenly as possible over the pecan layer, but don’t worry if it looks patchy. Cream of coconut is available in the baking aisle alongside other coconut products.
Instructions
- PREPARE PAN Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Coat foil lightly with cooking spray.
- MAKE CRUST Process flour, sugar, pecans, and salt in food processor until pecans are coarsely ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture firmly into prepared baking pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack 20 minutes.
- MAKE TOPPING Combine coconut and cream of coconut in bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Stir in pecans, then spread filling over cooled crust. Dollop heaping tablespoons of coconut mixture over filling, then spread into even layer.
- BAKE AND COOL Bake until topping is deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars from pan and cut into 24 pieces. Serve. (Bars can be refrigerated in airtight container for 5 days.
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