Dairy-Free in New York: Recommended Restaurants by City

Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

These bar "cookies" have everything you love in them – and they yield a big batch for parties, bake sales, gifts, holidays, or just a snack stash. The dough is easy to bring together and you can have these in the oven in 30 minutes or less.

The cookies keep well, too. Store them in a tight container on the counter for up to four days. Be sure to read Baking Together #53: It's a Bar, It's a Cookie, It's Delicious! For extra tips and ideas for variations.

Makes about 40 rectangles

1 2/3 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup (1 ounce) shredded sweetened coconut

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (7 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)

1 large egg

2/3 cup (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (white, semi, or bittersweet)

1/2 cup (2 ounces) toasted slivered almonds (lightly chopped), toasted chopped walnuts, or toasted chopped pecans

1. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (I like the straight-sided kind) with foil or parchment, leaving about a 1-inch overhang on two opposite sides. Whisk the flour, oats, coconut, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl until well blended.

2. Put the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extract, if using, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer fitted with wire beaters). Beat on medium speed until well blended and lighter in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture, chips and nuts and mix on low speed until the dough is just barely blended, about 1 minute.

3. Drop scoopfuls of the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Using damp fingertips, press into the pan to form an even layer (rewetting fingertips as needed). Set aside at room temperature while the oven heats.

4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. 5. Bake until the top is evenly browned and the edges are a bit darker, 28 to 30 minutes. Move the pan to a rack and let cool completely.

Cut and Serve

For easy removal and cutting, refrigerate the pan until chilled and firm, about 20 minutes. Use the foil or parchment edges on the sides to lift the cookie from the pan. Carefully peel away the foil or parchment and set on a cutting board. Cut crosswise into 5 equal strips and then cut each strip into 8 rectangles — or cut into size and shape of your choice. Squares are nice, too. (Note: while chilling makes for easiest cutting, the cookies taste best at room temperature. You can even warm them for a few seconds in the microwave!) For more tips, see Baking Together.

A great chewy texture and sweet earthy flavor make these big-batch bar cookies a winner for any occasion.

Crispy Coconut Wafer Recipe

In Flavor Flours(Artisan Books, 2014), Alice Medrich brings her legendary skill and impeccable palate to non-wheat flours. These flours can be used artfully, not just as replacements for wheat flour, and Medrich presents nearly 125 recipes that showcase the unique qualities of a variety of ancient grains, coconut flour, and nut flours. The following excerpt is from chapter 8, "Nut and Coconut Flours."

Full disclosure: I love coconut and coconut cookies and simply cannot choose a favorite crunchy coconut confection. There are only five ingredients and not a bit of flour in these easy-peasy, super-crunchy cookies. Keep them on hand to dunk, smear with peanut butter, make ice cream sammies, or dip in dark chocolate.

Becel Anything Goes Cookie Dough Coconut-Lemon Cookies

Videos:

Part One

/

Part Two

Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp. Baking soda1/2 tsp. Salt1 cup Becel® Buttery Taste margarine*1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar1/4 cup granulated sugar2 large Eggs1 tsp. Vanilla extract2 Tbsp. Grated lemon peel1 1/2 cups shredded coconutRecipe Details:

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 8 Minutes

Yeild: 54 Cookies

send recipe Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190 C). Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

Beat Becel® Buttery Taste margarine with sugars in large bowl using electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla and lemon peel until blended. Gradually add in flour mixture; beat just until blended. Shape into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Roll* in coconut. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets, 2-inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake 7 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes on wire rack; remove cookies from sheets and cool completely.*Becel Gold in Quebec.*For an easier variation, just stir in coconut and bake as above.

See nutritional information for saturated fat content.

Nutritional Information 1 cookie:

Calories 80 , Calories from Fat 40 , Total Fat 4.5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 75 mg, Total Carbs 9 g, Dietary Fiber 0 g, Sugars 5 g, Protein 1 g, Vitamin A 4 %, Vitamin C 0 %, Calcium 0 %, Iron 2 %, Potassium 20 mg, Omega-3 .3 g, Omega-6 .8 g

---