Coconut-Lime Lemon Bar Recipe
The buttery shortbread crust in these Coconut-Lime Lemon Bars gets toasty golden brown. Then topped with tart lemon and lime filling with sweet coconut. What could be better in a fresh fruit lemon dessert, with a tropical twist.
Servings: 12
Calories: 505kcal
Ingredients
crust
- 2 cups flaked sweet coconut
- 1 ½ cups AP flour
- ¾ cup powder sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup butter soft, cut into chunks
lemon filling
- ¼ cup AP flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons lime zest make optional for garnish
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest make optional for garnish
- ¼ cup lime juice 1-2 limes
- ¼ cup lemon juice 1 regular or Meyer lemon
garnish
- powder sugar
- lemon or lime zest
- toasted coconut
Instructions
prep
- Pull the butter out to get it soft at room temperature.
- In a skillet on medium-high heat, toast the coconut flakes for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Keep stirring and don’t walk away, once just turning brown remove from pan to prevent over toasting so part of the coconut is white and some slightly brown.
- Zest limes and lemons. Then, juice the lime/s and lemon.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 (or 8 x 10) dish with nonstick spray. You can also line the pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the lemon bars
bake the crust
- In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients with a hand mixer or large spoon until butter is in small pieces. Use clean your hands to mix it well to get the dough to come together.
- Press crust into bottom and of your baking dish, just up the sides a bit. Use a small measuring cup to level and push into the edges of the baking pan.
- Bake till golden brown, 25 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Leave oven on.
mix the filling
- Whisk together flour and sugar in a bowl using hand whisk. Then whisk in eggs, lemon and lime zest, and lemon and lime juice.
- Whisk just before you pour the mixture over the cooled crust, that way the lemon and lime zest show on the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes until there is only a slight jiggle, but not a lot of movement. If it still jiggles a lot, bake for about 5 more minutes or they will be under baked in the center. Most recipes call for lower bake time and temperature, and that can be the issue.
- food processor plastic wrap aluminum foil paddle attachment stand mixer electric mixer pulse wire rack
- After baking, allow them cool on the kitchen counter for an hour to set up, then chill in the fridge overnight. Cut into bars using a sharp knife.
- Garnish with a dusting of sprinkled powdered sugar through a small sieve, toasted coconut, lemon or lime zest!
Video
Notes
coconut shortbread
Toasting the coconut and baking the shortbread crust with coconut in it will give it a darker golden color, unlike traditional lemon bars which are usually paler in color.storage tips
You can keep them on a platter during a party for a couple of hours, but lemon bars should be kept cool in the refrigerator for any longer and overnight as they have an egg custard base. And they last for up to 4 days in an airtight container.baking dishes
Use either glass or ceramic (not metal pans-they give off a metallic taste) for this recipe, a 9 x 13 works well, if you want them to be tall and thicker, you can use an 8 x 10 as I did, but you will need to bake the crust and the filling/crust about 5 minutes longer.foamy top on baked bars
Do you notice the white foamy top of air bubbles, on top of your baked bars? It happens because the air from the eggs rose to the top. This won't affect the taste, sometimes it helps to gently mix the mixture before pouring on the top of the crust, or just sprinkle confectioners sugar on top!slicing tips
Use a hot wet, very sharp knife to cut your chilled bars. Be sure to chill them overnight to get neat edges.Nutrition
Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 413mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 552IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg