coconut magic bars

 

One of the most tiresome, but necessary tasks after final exams are over is packing up all your belongings to move back home. Alas, if only it were as easy as throwing all your junk in one trunk and calling it a day.

Kind of like these coconut magic bars.

My theory is that the "magic" about magic bars is how you can take all your leftover bits, throw them in a dish and bake them into something delicious. Kind of like the midnight breakfast cookies. But come to think of it, how can you possibly go wrong with a combination of chocolate chips, coconut flakes and pretzels?

The most challenging part of this recipe is slowly boiling and coaxing the coconut milk into having a similar viscosity to condensed milk, You want to aim for about a little more than a cup of condensed coconut milk.

overnight coconut magic bars
crust
1 1/2 graham cracker crumbs
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup oil (I used corn)
coconut icing
1 13.5 oz. can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
toppings 
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Optional: pretzels, butterscotch chips, marshmallows, nuts like pecans and peanuts

to make the crust
1. In a food processor, combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, egg and oil. Blitz until the texture is moist and clumpy.
2. Press the crumbs into the pan to form a crust.
3. Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes, or until crust is set.
to make the icing
1. Heat the coconut milk and sugar in a pot over Medium heat. Stir for 20-30 minutes, until the coconut milk reduces to approx. 1 cup of liquid and is thickened in texture. You're not looking to get caramel here, but you do want something similar to sweetened condensed milk.
2. When desired texture is reached,
to assemble the layers
1. Sprinkle on a layer of chocolate chips.Then, layer on the pretzels (and other toppings of your choosing.
2. Sprinkle coconut flakes as the top layer.
3. Pour the coconut icing over the entire bar, creating a layer that will "set" all the other toppings.
4. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. At this point, the bars will still be pretty soft, especially because they are coconut based. Refrigerate them for a few hours or overnight to allow them to firm up, until the coconut icing has set.