Coconut Caramel Bars

By LoriCaputo

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baing powder
• 2 cups shreded cocnut, sweetened or unsweetened, toasted (1/2 cup reserved for topping)
• 36 caramel candies
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbs. milk or cream

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg. Mix in the flour, salt, bing powder and 1 1/2 cups of the coconut.

Spread mixture in an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Just before the 15 minutes is up, melt half the caramel. Drizzle the caramel over the crust and return it to the oven for 10 - 12 minutes; when done it will be medium brown and the caramel will be bubbly.

Remove the crust from the oven and cut into 2 dozen bars, leaving them in the pan. Sprinkle the bars with the chocolate. Spread the melted chocolate. Combine the remaining caramel with milk/cream and heat until teh caramel is pourable. Drizzle over the bars, garnish with cocnut.