Satisfy your sweet tooth with this delicious and easy coconut shortbread recipe. With just a few simple ingredients, you'll have a batch of buttery, coconutty treats in no time.
These coconut shortbread bars are loaded with flavor from the toasted coconut and buttery shortbread dough. Coconut adds so much to shortbread and if you don't believe me, juts ask someone in my house because they go quick when I make them.
This recipe is made as shortbread bars but feel free to roll them out to cookies if you prefer. You can use my salted shortbread cookies recipe as a guide for how to do that.
Now let's get into the details on how to make this!
Helpful tools
For this recipe, I use a tart pan that is rectangular, 13.5 long x 4 wide x 1 inch deep in size. If you do not have this size pan, you can use a circular 9.5 x 1 tart pan. You may need to adjust the cooking time a bit longer if you use a round pan to ensure the center is fully cooked.
Ingredients and substitutions
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt is in the cookies.
- Kosher salt: The salt elevates the sweet and buttery shortbread flavors. If you do not have this, regular table salt is fine but make sure to use ¼ the amount.
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar helps improve the texture of the cookies.
- Vanilla Extract
- Unsweetened shredded coconut: Make sure to use unsweetened coconut or the shortbread will be too sweet.
How to make coconut shortbread bars
- Mix Dry ingredients: This is the flour and the salt.
- Cream: Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla by mixing on low speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer until creamy.
- Combine: Combine the creamy butter mixture with the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
- Chill: The shortbread dough should be chilled for about 30 minutes. You can also make it ahead of time and let it sit out for a little before proceeding to the next step.
- Toast the coconut: Toast the coconut on a baking sheet in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, making sure to flip the coconut around every few minutes or so to prevent burning. Allow it to fully cool.
- Assemble: Press the dough into a prepared tart pan. You may need to dip your finger tips into flour for this part to keep them from sticking.
- Pierce with a fork: With a fork, poke the shortbread all along the length making two long rows of fork marks. I like to make them as even as possible to help guide me on where to cut the bars later. This is important to prevent the shortbread from puffing up during baking.
- Bake: For about 18-20 minutes for softer shortbread bars or 25 minutes for more firm shortbread.
- Allow to cool: Allow the shortbread to cool then using the marks if they are lined up, or by measuring about 1 inch, cut the shortbread with a large sharp knife into bars.
Storage
The dough also freezes well so you can slice them up and freeze your cookie slices for when you need a quick sweet. Just follow the recipe the same up until the baking part and instead of baking just freeze them.
When you are ready, just add a few minutes to the baking time since they are frozen and that is it.
You can store the baked shortbread in an air-tight container for up to one week on your counter
Recipe FAQS
You can use almond flour in place of all purpose flour with great success.
I do not recommend substituting the type of sugar in the recipe since the sugar used adds structure not just flavor.
Unsweetened coconut is best to use for these since there is already enough sugar in the dough.
More Shortbread Recipes You Will Love!
Easy Coconut Shortbread Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt Using kosher salt is important here. If using regular table salt, make sure to half the amount.
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Whisk together flour and salt in a small bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a separate bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer, add butter, and both sugars and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Now add vanilla and mix until combined.¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Reduce speed to low and gradually add in flour mixture, mixing until the dough just comes together. This can take a while (about 2-3 minutes) so be patient. I promise it will come together.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Add the coconut to a sheet pan in a single layer and place in the pre-heated oven.1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- Bake the coconut for about 10 minutes flipping every few minutes until is a light golden brown color then remove from the oven and scoop on to a plate to cool.
- Once the coconut is cool, remove the dough from the fridge, add the coconut to the dough and mix well to combine.
- Press the dough into your tart pan (you may need to dip your finger tips into flour to prevent sticking).
- With a fork, poke the shortbread all along the length making two long rows of fork marks. I like to make them as even as possible to help guide me on where to cut the bars later. This is important to prevent the shortbread from puffing up during baking. You can look at my guide in the post if you are unsure how this looks.
- Bake the shortbread for 18-20 minutes for a softer shortbread or 25 minutes for a more firm shortbread.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, remove the edges of the tart pan and cut into ½- 1 inch thick bars depending on your preference.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer hereTried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
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