Easy Dessert – Sweet And Chewy Coconut Bars

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Anjana @ At The Corner Of Happy & Harried

I had a bag of shredded coconut in the freezer (leftover after decorating my Bunny Cake for Easter). I was looking for ways to use it up and thought of making Indian coconut bars, called barfi in Hindi. Coconut barfi is made with freshly grated coconut and sugar, cooked to a thick consistency that firms up as it cools. Add a touch of ghee for richness and you have tiny bars of sweet heaven.

My mom makes the best coconut barfi in the world, and it is her signature sweet dish. I will post my mom’s authentic barfi recipe some day. That is, if I can perfect it somehow!!

I thought of tweaking it a little by using pre-shredded coconut and a can of condensed milk. I ended up with sweet, sticky bars of coconut, that is nothing like the traditional barfi, but tastes just as delicious. Let us call them the utterly delicious sweet and chewy coconut bars!

You will need: (* – refer Notes)

Sweetened shredded coconut (not desiccated) – 2 cups, tightly packed*
Sweetened condensed milk – 3/4 – 1 cup (adjust depending on sweetness desired)
Ghee or melted butter – 2 tsp
Cardamom powder or crushed cardamom seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional, but highly recommended)
Food coloring – a few drops (optional)
Milk powder – a few teaspoons (not essential, but good to have on hand if the coconut has a lot of moisture in it)

Notes:

* You can use 2 cups of freshly grated or unsweetened shredded coconut plus 1/2 cup of sugar instead.

How to:

Mix the coconut (and sugar, if using unsweetened coconut) and condensed milk in a deep non-stick pan and cook slowly on medium heat. Keep stirring almost constantly.
After a while, it will start to thicken. Mix in the ghee or melted butter, cardamom powder and food color. The cardamom powder gives it a distinctive aroma and flavor.

Stir till the mixture forms a cohesive mass (it will start to leave the sides of the pan, and start chasing the spoon when stirred). If the coconut seems to have a lot of moisture, add a couple of teaspoons of milk powder. This should speed things up.
Pour onto a lined and greased baking pan or plate and smooth to about a half to an inch thickness.

Cut into squares or diamonds when partially cool, using a greased knife. Allow to cool completely (pop it in the refrigerator to speed things up), separate the pieces and enjoy.
Store leftover bars in a sealed container in the fridge.

Variations:

I have used not-so-fine shredded coconut. That is what I had on hand. Using finely shredded or grated coconut yields the best-looking coconut bars.
For a fun twist, you can make a couple of different colored batches and layer them. Think pink and white or blue and white for a birthday or baby shower, or any other fun color combinations you can think of!
Instead of spreading them on a baking pan, try pressing the cooked mixture into greased cupcake or candy molds. Once it is cool, it should easily pop out.

Are you a coconut lover? Do you have a sweet tooth? Then do try this and let me know what you think.

Or do you have any variations of this recipe? Do you tweak traditional recipes and come up with new ones?

Check out other sweet treats like this easy Bread Pudding Coated With Caramel Sauce.

Or these sinfully delicious Vanilla Meringue Cookies.

And if you are a coconut lover, try making this cute Bunny Cake!

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I am linking this up to Summer Recipe Round-up at Adventure In Life Love, Librarianship, Summer Desserts and Goodies Challenge at The CSI Project, and to parties at these awesome blogs.