Wendy's Lemony- Coconut Bar Cookies

A fresh and oh- so- tasty treat for summertime...or anytime!

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 24-36

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄3 cup white sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup flaked coconut
• 2  large eggs
• 6  tablespoons lemon juice
• 1  cup white sugar
• 2  tablespoons white flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 -3  tablespoons butter
• 4 -6  teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter until the mixture is mealy looking, or mix in food processor-its much easier!
3. Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13 X 9 sized pan OR use lightly greased, parchment- paper- lined jelly roll pan. Place in oven for 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown.
4. In another bowl,while the crust is baking beat eggs until fluffy and add the 6 tablespoons of lemon juice.
5. Combine the 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl and whisk into egg mixture. Stir in coconut and pour mixture over baked crust and spread evenly.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until center is set and bars are golden.
7. While bars are baking sift the confectioner's sugar and combine with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Add lemon juice by tablespoons until frosting is runny enough to pour over bars ( not thick like icing, but more like runny pancake batter). After bars come out of oven pour icing over entire surface of bars and let cool. I let bars cool significantly before cutting them.
8. NOTES and HELPFUL HINTS:
9. Line pan w/ aluminum foil or parchment paper before pressing flour mixture into it. Make sure foil goes up the entire side of pan and overlaps the sides. This makes it easier to get the bars out when completely done. Let cool and place on cutting board to cut instead of leaving them in pan to cut. (Neater edges too!).
10. Also, I personally like my bars extra chewy and crunchy. I achieve this by baking them quite a while longer the second time they are put into the oven. Usually around 45 minutes or longer. If I do it this way then I will bake them at a lower temp, say 300-325 so they don't brown so quick.
11. Try replacing the white sugar w/ 1/2 brown and 1/2 white sugar and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. They taste richer and chewier as well!