Homemade Lemon Coconut Bars
These Homemade Lemon Coconut Bars are a family favorite! Packed with bright lemon flavor, these bars are a great dessert for hot summer days!
Summer is finally here, and since I live in upstate New York, I couldn’t be happier about that! The snow is gone…at least until October. Ok, maybe we’ll make it through October, but I still don’t want to think about snow and shoveling the driveway right now. Instead, I spent the morning working in the garden and mowing the grass.
There’s nothing better than a day in the yard followed up by dinner on the grill! Fresh veggies are starting to pop up everywhere, too. This weekend, my wife and I were in the mood for a summertime dessert. By “summertime dessert” I mean something bright and fresh…and of course, delicious!
In recent weeks, we’ve made Peach Bellini Pound Cake and Southern Banana Pudding, but this week we were in the mood for something lemony. So I headed over to the kitchen and made a batch of these Homemade Lemon Coconut Bars. Easy, delicious, and loaded with lemon: the perfect summer dessert!
I remember coming home from college one summer and helping my mom tweak this recipe. We must have made at least 10 batches of lemon bars before we finally were happy with one. (I’m not complaining about making 10 batches of lemon bars, though. If I recall, not one single lemon bar went to waste.)
If you are a fan of lemon, then definitely put this recipe on your list of summer desserts to make. The tart, intense flavor of fresh lemons mixed with the sugar will leave you coming back again and again…and then you’ll be left wondering what happened to all of the lemon bars! So next time you are at the market, grab some fresh lemons and shredded coconut and whip up a batch of these lemon bars for your summer picnic. Enjoy!
Homemade Lemon Coconut Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup confectioner's sugar plus more for garnishing
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice about 1-1.5 lemons
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix flour and powdered sugar with melted butter. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch square greased pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients (sugar, baking powder, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and coconut) in a medium bowl.
- After 20 minutes, remove crust from the oven and pour the lemon mixture on top. Bake for another 25 minutes.
- Chill, and garnish with powdered sugar just before serving.
I love lemon bars, but have never made them! I’ve got all the ingredients, maybe I should stop procrastinating?
Hey Vicki! Stop procrastinating and get in the kitchen! The hardest part about this recipe is letting them chill in the refrigerator…but make them this afternoon and you’ll have dessert for tomorrow. Yum!
I have to make these!
Did you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
Hey Mani! I prefer to use unsweetened coconut in these lemon bars. Let me know how they turn out when you make them!
Exactly my thoughts.. The hardest part was letting them chill. I actually put them in the freezer for 20 min and they were good to eat by then!
They didn’t have unsweetened coconut at my nearest grocery store so I used sweetened coconut and reduced the sugar. Not sure exactly how much I used because I kind of winged it, but about 3/4cup.
They came out great! Baking times were spot on.
The only thing I would change next time is add even more lemon and lemon zest. I like lemon bars with a strong lemony taste. I could definitely taste the lemon, but I like it stronger. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hey Mani! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out. Now I’m tempted to get in the kitchen tomorrow and make them again with more lemon. These are one of my favorites for summer evenings. I’m really glad you enjoyed them!
These look really great, and so easy too. I love this recipe because of the addition of coconut. How yummy is that!?
These look amazing! I too have never made lemon bars – I think it’s time I do!
Thanks, Steph! These are so incredibly easy…your friends will think you spent all day in the kitchen! 🙂
Love lemon bars…..
I’m definitely gonna give it a try today!!! lemon is my all time fav! Thank you for sharing:)
Thanks for being a fan of Spiced, Huma!! Hope you enjoyed the bars!
Hey! I am wondering what type of flour did you use to make these bars?
Hey Georgina! I used all-purpose flour for the bars. (Thanks for pointing this out…I’m updating the recipe right now.)
How many bars does this recipe make? I’m bringing as a gift to a family of five, and want to make sure to have enough!
Hey Allison! That all depends on the size that you want the bars to be. I typically cut them into 4″x2″ bars, which gives me 8 bars per batch. But you could easily make them smaller and go with 2″x2″ bars, which would give you 16 bars per batch. I hope this helps…and I hope you (and the other family) enjoy!!
Will be making these on Sunday. LOVE LEMON AND COCONUT. I will add more lemon and toasted coconut for sure. Im going to make these into tarts also. Great recipe TKS
Thank you so much! This is absolutely one of my favorite recipes…which reminds me that I need to make it again soon. Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Looks delicious! I only got one question: Is the baking powder added to the flour-mixture?
Hey Philipp! Great question…the baking powder is used in Step 4 to create the lemon filling. I’m updating the recipe right now to make that easier to understand. These are one of my all-time favorite desserts…Hope you enjoy them!!
I made these yesterday, with extra lemon and sweetened coconut and they were amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know, Jenn. Glad you enjoyed these bars…they’re one of my favorites! 🙂
AFTER spending 30 mutines looking at all your fun antics, delicious recipes and beautiful pictures, I just have to follow you!! and thanks a lot! it is 8:30am and I am craving SOOOO many of your recent recipes.
Wow…thank you SO much, Corina!! I really appreciate your kind words. I couldn’t have this site without awesome people like you…so thank you. 🙂 Don’t be a stranger if you have any questions or comments on recipes!