These Coconut Lemon Bars are sweet and tangy with a hint of tropical coconut. They are easy to make without as the lemon curd does not need to be cooked in advance. They look gorgeous and are a perfect addition to a cookie platter. Recipe by Marie Asselin from Simply Citrus cookbook #SimplyCitrus
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
For the crust
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, shredded coconut, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the melted coconut oil and mix until everything is well combined. The mixture will be a bit crumbly.
Place the dough into the prepared pan spread it in an even layer, firmly pressing down.
Bake the crust until the edges just start to brown, about 15-20 minutes. It takes about 18 minutes in my oven.
For the filling
In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the eggs and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk well to combine.
To bake
Pour the filling right over the hot crust. Make sure to whisk it well just before pouring it over the crust.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until it just starts to turn golden around the edges but the centre is still a bit jiggly.
Let the pan cool completely to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. The filling will firm up in the fridge.
Serve with a light sprinkling of icing sugar.
Notes
I added about 1/4 teaspoon of coconut extract to the crust and a splash of extract to the filling to bring out even more of the tropical flavour.
The second time I made these Coconut Lemon Bars I used untoasted coconut.
I used both large eggs and extra-large eggs with great results.
The second time I reduced the sugar in the filling by 2 tablespoons, only using 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Next time I'll reduce it even further to only use 1/2 cup sugar.