One last guest post for you guys today. I am so happy to be welcoming Joanne from Eats Well With Others today! Joanne is a blog friend turned real-life friend who I just adore. If you don’t know her blog- it’s full of funny stories, delicious vegetarian meals and lots of decadent sweets. Thanks so much for helping a mama out Joanne!!
Audra and I are lemon lovin’ kindred spirits. So when I had leftover Meyer lemon curd sitting in my fridge for, oh, two weeks, I swore I could feel her disapproving eyes on me as I let it sit there unused, day after day. She surely would have whipped up a batch of scones by now to smear it all over or snuck it into Alice’s Tea Cup (our favorite ladies-who-lunch meeting spot) to pair it with one of their many varieties.
Thankfully, I found a few spare minutes this weekend to turn that luscious lemon curd into these decadent lemon vanilla coconut dream bars. And I swear I could hear Audra sigh a sigh of relief from across the East River. Or maybe that was just my stomach begging for more. Hmmm.
(These are essentially rich white chocolate blondies topped with dollops of lemon curd and then baked to fudgy, sweet tart perfection. I chose to use Lindt coconut white chocolate bars to give them a tropical twist and a little bit more fruity flair. That being said, the coconut flavor is very subtle and even my coconut-hating family loved these! You can, of course, choose to use regular white chocolate if you want but be sure to use bars instead of baking chips to get the best texture and flavor.)
- Lemon Vanilla Coconut Dream Bars
- Makes a dozen bars, adapted from Pure Vanilla
- Ingredients
- 10 oz Lindt coconut white chocolate, chopped, divided
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup lemon curd, homemade or storebought
- Heat oven to 350. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, using enough so that there is an overhang on two sides.
- Combine the butter and 8 oz of the white chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until the white chocolate and butter are fully melted and combined. Stir in the sugar and salt.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time and then whisk in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste. Using a spatula, fold in the flour, only until just combined. Stir in the remaining white chocolate chunks. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth evenly.
- Dollop the lemon curd onto the batter in six dollops. Use a knife to swirl the curd into the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (but not dry!), about 25-28 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and serving.
Katrina @ WVS says
March 13, 2014 at 8:20 amThese bars are certainly my dream – so yummy!
sandra says
March 13, 2014 at 11:18 amwow these look so fresh and so decadent all at the same time! two diametrically apposed tastes in one – can’t beat that.
Clever Hen says
March 13, 2014 at 11:21 amWhat could be better…a sweet treat with coconut, lemon and vanilla! Yum!
Emma says
March 13, 2014 at 11:30 amOh wow! Seriously indulgent but man do they look tasty…
2 sisters recipes says
March 13, 2014 at 8:49 pmHi ! This is our first time here and we love all the goodies you have here! We also want to say Congratulations on the baby! Love anything with lemon, so these bars we would go bonkers for! Enjoy the baby!
xxoo Anna and Liz
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking says
March 13, 2014 at 11:45 pmI am a lemon addict too! I can’t quit lemon! Sooooo good. These look so dreamy!
Candace @ Cabot says
March 14, 2014 at 6:41 amThese are destined to become a family favorite…thank you!
Elisa @ Insalata di Sillabe says
March 14, 2014 at 7:22 amThese little babies truly look like the perfect fresh and delicious dessert for spring/summer!
xo, Elisa
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef says
March 15, 2014 at 6:55 pmoh goodness- these sound amazing! can’t wait to try them. what a good idea to use lemon curd to make lemon bars. delish!