We had brownies!  We had blondies! (And that wasn’t just the audience!) We had coconut and jam sandwich bars!  Personally, while I thought they were super tasty, they did remind me of an upscale pop tart.  (Which is not the worst thing in the world!)  Bridget Sweeny was nice enough to make brownies for us, so maybe we can coax her for her recipe….in the meantime; coconut and jam sandwich bars!

Makes 10-12 in a 9 x 12 1/2 in baking try

You will need:

For the base

1 oz unsalted butter

6 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 3/4 oz granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

For the topping

6 oz shaved coconut

6 oz granulated sugar

4 egg whites

1 3/4 oz plain flour

5 1/2 oz jam (i used strawberry)

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees and line tray with parchment paper
2. Using hand-held electric mixer, slowly mixer butter, flour, and baking powder together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add the sugar and stir in, then tip the egg yolks into a jug and mix w 2 tablespoons of water.  Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
3. Press mixture into the prepared tray, place in oven and bake for 12-15 mins or until the base is a light golden color.  Allow to cool completely before adding the topping – but leave oven on  for cooking the sandwich bars when you’ve added the topping
4. In a saucepan, mix together the coconut, sugar and one of the egg whites w  tablespoons of water.  Stir over low heat for 3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved & all ingredients come together and form a thick paste. Add the flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly for another minute.  Tip into large bowl and set aside to slightly cool.
5. Using electric mixer, whip the remaining 3 egg whites until stiff, then stir one-third into the coconut paste to loosen.  Add the remaining whipped egg whites and fold in gently w a large metal spoon until incorporated.
6. Spread the jam over the cooled base, then top the jam with the coconut mixture, spreading it out evenly.  Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins or until the coconut topping is golden brown.  Allow the mixture to cool completely in the tray before cutting it into slices.

The Hummingbird Bakery