Mrs. Fields Coconut Mud Bars

Sue Lau's Note:

These are decadent! A little bit of trouble to make, but they are worth every bite. Very chocolaty!

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 24 bars

• 1 1⁄3; cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup dark brown sugar , packed
• ½ cup unsalted butter , slightly softened and cut into small pieces
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces , finely chopped
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup unsalted butter , softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ½ ounces flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking pan.
3. To make the bottom layer, stir together 1 1/3 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, pinch salt and the brown sugar.
4. Use a pastry blender to add the 1/2 cup of butter (in small pieces), until the mixture is crumbly and coarse.
5. Press into the bottom of the baking pan.
6. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then place pan on rack to cool.
7. Leave oven on.
8. Next prepare the chocolate ganache.
9. After the chopped chocolate is placed in a medium bowl, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
10. Pour the cream over the ganache, and wait 5 minutes before stirring.
11. The ganache will be smooth when ready to refrigerate and set (15 minutes in the refrigerator).
12. To prepare the topping, cream the remaining butter in a bowl.
13. Add the granulated sugar, and extracts.
14. Beat until blended, then beat in the eggs; then stir in coconut and nuts.
15. Drop the topping by spoonfuls evenly over the ganache and spread with a spatula or a knife.
16. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
17. Set pan on rack to cool before cutting into bars.

Reviews

[Shasha]

This was great! I used dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet, so should have adjusted the sugar to made it sweeter. But it was still delicious

[ellie_]

Chocolate and coconut bars - a perfect combination for wonderfully rich bars! I picked this recipe to use up some pantry items and I am glad I did, but in doing so I made a few subsitutions that didn't seems to affect these bars by using only white sugar for the sugars mentioned. I also used chocolate chips (12 oz) for the chocolate and used 1 cup of silvered almonds for the pecans. I wasn't sure what chocolate ganache is except that this resulted in a very chocolaty filling and wasn't sure about step 11- if I was supposed to pour the ganache onto to the crust before setting or let it set in a bowl in the refrig. I let it set in a bowl and then spooned it on the filling (but I think I should have done it the other way around) - either way it resulted in a delicious bar that anyone loving chocolate and coconut would love. Thanks for sharing this decadent! bar dessert!