Almond Joy Cookie Bars
Total disclosure right off the bat – we were not a fan of Almond Joy candy bars when we were younger. We had no room for things like almonds and coconut when we could have peanuts, nougat and caramel. It just seemed like a no-brainer to little ol’ us. Fast forward many years and, while we still go gaga over peanuts, nougat and caramel, we are just as equally enamored with things like almonds and coconut.
The chewy, chunky blondies that we made years ago from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From Our Home to Yours has always been one of our favorite blondies, so we returned to that base to create the Almond Joy bars. We swapped in almonds, coconut and chocolate chips and we fell in love immediately.
If you’re a lover of anything to do with nuts, coconut and chocolate, we urge you to make these immediately!
They’re a great addition to any upcoming summer cookout, as well – evenly portable and straightforward to eat without a fork and knife.
One year ago: DIY: Iced Coffee
Two years ago: Key Lime Pie
Three years ago: Raspberry Streusel Bars
Five years ago: Straightforward Fudge
Seven years ago: Cheesy Baked Ziti with Sausage
Almond Joy Cookie Bars
Yield: 24 bars Cookie bars with all of the flavors in Almond Joy candy bars - almonds, coconut and chocolate!- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (330 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (135 g) sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup (180 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (143 g) coarsely chopped almonds
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, almonds and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best as you can.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Cut into bars; store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 24 bars
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 40 minutes
- Total: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups ( 250 g ) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ( 0.75 teaspoon ) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) salt
- 1 cup ( 227 g ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups ( 330 g ) light brown sugar
- ½ cup ( 100 g ) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups ( 135 g ) sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup ( 180 g ) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup ( 143 g ) coarsely chopped almonds
Method
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan; set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, almonds and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best as you can.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Cut into bars; store in an airtight container at room temperature.
