Nut Coconut Chocolate Bars

By LisaMK

Food and Wine, November 2010.
Cook this dessert in Metal dish.
Stored for 3 days in airtight or frig for up to 1 week.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 c ap flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 oz bacon, finely diced
• 3 c sweetened shredded coconut (6 1/2 oz)
• 12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c salted roasted almonds, chopped
• 1 16 oz jar dulce de leche
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Details

Servings 15
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 120mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch metal baking pan w/parchment paper, leaving up to 1 inch of overhang.
Spray the paper with vegetable oil spray.
Medium saucepan, cook the butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until fragrant and browned, 4 mins.
Scrape butter into large bowl and freeze just until solid, 15 mins.
Handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar, vanilla seeds and egg yolk into the butter at med speed until blended.
Add flour and salt and beat until moistened crumbs form. Press crumbs into the prepared pan and bake in lower third of oven for 25 mins, until crust is set and lightly browned.
Wipe out bowl used to make crust. Medium skillet, cook bacon over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, 5 mins.
Drain bacon on paper towels and let cool. In bowl, toss coconut w/chocolate chips, almonds and bacon.
In another bowl, whisk dulce de leche with condensed milk; pour 2/3 of it in crust. Lightly press coconut-bacon mixture over dulce de leche. Drizzle remaining dulce mixture on top.
Bake bars for 35 to 40 mins., until lightly browned on top. Transfer pan to rack and let bars cool to room temp., then refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
Carefully remove bars from the pan and peel off paper. Cut into bars and serve.