Kaitlin in the Kitchen: Coconut Cream Bars

Hello! I'm sure I sound like a broken record when I say I'm excited to share a recipe with you guys, but this one is one of my faves! I'm a total nut for anything coconut. These are so easy, delicious and pretty!

Ingredients:

{Bars}

1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, softened

3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup Old Fashioned or Quick Cooking Oats

2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed

1 3.4 oz Package Instant Coconut Cream Pudding Mix

1/4 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Teaspoon Coconut Extract

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

{Frosting}

1 1/2 Cups Confectioners Sugar

3 Tablespoons Butter, softened

2 Tablespoons Milk

1/4 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut, toasted *see notes below

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer bowl, combine brown sugar and 1 stick of butter. Beat at medium speed until creamy and mixed well, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.

Add eggs, vanilla extract and coconut extract; mix well.

Add in the flour, oats, pudding mix, and 1/4 cup shredded coconut; mix well.

Spread mixture into a buttered (I like to use the butter wrapper and just run it around the dish) 8-inch baking pan. Bake for 23-27 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool bars completely before frosting.

In a bowl combine the 3 tablespoons of butter and the confectioners sugar. Beat at medium speed with a hand mixer until well combined. Add milk and mix well. Spread (I put mine in a piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip to give them a prettier look) frosting over cooled bars and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

*To toast coconut, place coconut in a small pan on the stove and turn it onto medium heat. Continuously stir the coconut until it starts to turn golden brown, then immediately turn off the heat and pour the coconut onto a plate or paper towel to cool off. Make sure you stand near it and stir it around the entire time because it can easily burn.