Coconut and Jam Macaroon Bars

The gloomy and rainy weather here makes it hard to get motivated to get a lot accomplished, but I have good days and less productive days. I often think that I just want to bake, but I really don’t need that many baked goods around the house. We’re still working through the last of the Christmas items! I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while and it makes a fairly small batch. I haven’t made macaroons for a while, and never as a bar cookie.

Desiccated coconut is probably something that you aren’t very familiar with. It’s very common in recipes from the UK, but not so much here in the states. It is a finer ground coconut than you typically find at the store, and it is unsweetened. I have a European market fairly close that carries it, but not everyone is so lucky. If you can’t get desiccated coconut, you can put “American” coconut in the food processor and process it until it’s more finely ground. It may be a touch sweeter, but it will work.

These bars come together quickly, as I was able to mix them up in the time it takes me to make breakfast. Honestly, weighing ingredients and separating the eggs takes the longest and that’s pretty quick. These bars are also easy to make dairy-free, as long as the chocolate you use doesn’t contain dairy. Getting the jam nestled into the bars is…interesting, but don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. They look great when baked. They are on the sticky side, and a little challenging to cut, but they are certainly worth the effort.

Coconut and Jam Macaroon Bars
250 grams sugar
4 beaten egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
300 grams desiccated coconut
25 grams flour
About ½ cup raspberry jam
3 ounces dark chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 20- by 30-centimeter pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and salt and stir to combine. Add the coconut and flour and mix on medium until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be thick. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Dot the jam over the cookie base with a teaspoon, nestling the jam into the bars.

Bake for about 23-25 minutes, until the bars are golden around the edges. Allow the bars to cool on a wire rack completely.

Combine the chocolate and shortening in a microwave-proof bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring frequently. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled bars and allow the chocolate to cool before cutting into bars.

Recipe from BBC Good Food