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If there is one bar that I remember my Grandma Marion making when I was young, it was these raspberry coconut bars. There is something so perfect about the flavour combination: the buttery shortbread base, the tart raspberry jam filling paired with the sweet, chewy coconut. Absolute flavour heaven!
I would have to say that these Raspberry Coconut Bars are one of my top 5 favourite bars of all time and that’s sure saying something. Why is it that baked goods with raspberry jam are so amazing? It’s like the old-fashioned raspberry walnut thumbprint cookies that I have here on The Kitchen Magpie. Those are one of my favourite cookies ever!
I suspect that the reason my Grandma made these raspberry coconut bars so often is that they freeze so incredibly well – indeed, like most bars and squares, there’s something a little magical about eating them half-frozen. The chewiness factor increases exponentially and of course, there is that whole “not having to wait for them to defrost” thing as well.
Like I had written in my book, my Grandma always had a large selection of frozen ” dainties” in her freezer, just in case neighbours or friends stopped by for afternoon coffee and a chat. You wouldn’t get caught unawares out on the farm without a diving selection of dainties that you could serve at a moment’s notice.
So who has made or eaten raspberry coconut bars before? Are they a favourite from days gone by? I haven’t made them in years and was inspired to bake up a batch this past week. They are happily sitting in my freezer, awaiting company to serve them to!
Happy baking!
Love you more than chocolate,
Karlynn
Raspberry Coconut Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
Filling
- 1 cup raspberry jam of your choice
Topping
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 or 9×9 pan and set aside.
- Mix the flour and sugar together, then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until crust mixture resembles crumbs. Pat the crust evenly into bottom of the baking dish.
- Bake the crust in the oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
- Spread the jam over the top of the crust evenly.
- Mix the topping ingredients together until there are no lumps and spread evenly over the top. Return to the oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the filling is firm and set.
- Remove and cool completely.
- Cool, then slice and serve! These freeze exceptionally well.
Notes
Nutrition
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Not good, base didn’t bake well enough and they fell apart when I tried to cut them up despite following the instructions. Seems the crust to filling ratio is off.
Julia Peters says
Could you sprinkle some frozen raspberries on top of the jam before adding the topping & baking? Or would these be to soggy then?
Jenny says
This was great, thanks! Made exactly as directed.
Jennifer says
I will never use this site again. Recipe looks swell but I could never see it long enough to actually use because of pop ups and the eternal Get Christmas Cookie Recipes screen overlay that you can’t X out of and takes forever to leave. I know you gotta make a living and I expect ads. But jeebus, this is ridiculous.
Nancy says
these raspberry squares would be good with half the jam. Made by the recipe we had
to eat them with a spoon.
Lynne says
I make these every Christmas from my recipe written on the back of a torn envelope. I have very fond memories of studying for exams in our basement when I was in high school and stealing them out of the freezer unbeknownst to my mom who made them for Christmas entertaining. Still prefer to eat them frozen.
ERIN VAN DE CAMP says
I believe these are missing an ingredient from the original recipe. I have almost the same recipe and have been making them every Christmas for years. There should be 1 cup of white granulated sugar in the topping ingredients. The baking powder should be increased to 1/2 tbsp and reduce the flour to 1 tbsp.
Beat the eggs until frothy before stirring in the rest of the topping ingredients.
All the rest of the instructions and ingredients are correct.
JoAnn Bobier says
I agree my grandma mother made raspberry tarts with a topping like this and it had sugar and just egg yolks. I added the sugar will see if they turn out
Julia Peters says
Could you sprinkle some frozen raspberries on top of the jam before adding the topping & baking? Or would these be to soggy then?
Ula says
If you already have the recipe why did you come here to criticize this one? Stick to what you have
nicolthepickle says
These were not that special. They were fine but, I found the crust to filling ratio not quite right.
C. Logan says
You’re right, the crust was falling apart. Either too much flour or not enough butter. Crust crumbled. I only salvaged half the pan.
Nicole Graham says
Is there supposed to be sugar in the topping?
Karlynn Johnston says
nope, you have to use sweetened coconut, that’s all you need in it!
Jade says
Hi,
What “topping” are you referring to?
Rebecca says
Topping tasted very eggy. Not sure what happened or if anyone else experienced this.
Lizzie Streit says
These turned out great for us! I followed the recipe exactly (used an 8×8 pan and let them cool for an hour). I added a sprinkle of coconut on top before baking. Delicious, and I love that they are not overly sweet!
Brenda says
Mine turned out too thin. I should have used an 8” pan and not 9”. I just felt it was too wet and the top coconut filling just too runny. I put it in the fridge but not what I was looking for.
Judy says
Didn’t work out although tastes good. I mixed the topping ingredients just before I spread the jam onto the cooked crust. Then by the time I went to add the topping it had thickened to the point that it would not spread. I gobbed it on but when cooked it looked just like bits of crust. Tastes ok but not a pretty site.
Danielle says
Same thing happened to me. Almost like an ingredient was missing in the topping, very thick and not enough to spread over all that jam. Tasted OK.
Terry Reban says
Just became one of my new old favorites!
Bibi Abdulla says
Love to bake bars because it is so easy, then it is cut into lots of serving sizes. I feel happy to bake easy things. I have never tried raspberry bars will do shortly. Thanks
Pat says
If I double the recipe how long do I cook for?
BevD says
Wondered how you cut these bars to get 19 servings. I can see 6 X 3 = 18 or 4 x 5 = 20. I’m not thinking right about how you cut the bars. They sound delicious. Want to try them soon.
Norma says
I expect she meant to input 9 servings, based on the total calorie count. Perhaps this is a typographical error.
Danielle Renae Howatson says
Sorry if this is answered somewhere I cannot see but 1/14 cups all purpose flour? Is this 1 1/4 cups AP flour or 1/4 cup AP…..help?
Karlynn Johnston says
It’s 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour.