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Cherry Coconut Magic Bars Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 83 reviews

Cherry Coconut Magic Bars are a delightful dessert featuring a crunchy graham cracker and flour crust layered with a rich coconut, cherry, and sweetened condensed milk filling. These bars offer a delicious blend of chewy coconut and juicy maraschino cherries, accented with vanilla and almond extracts, baked to golden perfection and chilled for the perfect texture.

Ingredients

Scale

Crust

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, melted

Filling

  • 4 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
  • 2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 jars (10 ounces each) maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan thoroughly and set it aside to ensure the bars won’t stick after baking.
  2. Mix crust ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is evenly moistened and crumbly.
  3. Form the crust: Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan, creating a solid base for the filling.
  4. Prepare filling: In a separate larger bowl, thoroughly mix together the shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, chopped maraschino cherries, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.
  5. Assemble and bake: Pour the coconut-cherry mixture evenly over the crust in the baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden brown, indicating that the filling is set.
  6. Cool the bars: Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow the bars to cool completely, about one hour, to firm up before refrigeration.
  7. Chill before serving: Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least four hours to achieve the perfect set texture. Once chilled, cut into bars and serve.

Notes

  • Use finely shredded coconut for the best texture and distribution in the bars.
  • Draining and chopping the maraschino cherries helps prevent excess moisture, keeping bars from becoming soggy.
  • Press the crust mixture firmly to ensure a solid base for the filling.
  • Chilling the bars for at least four hours is essential for them to set properly and slice cleanly.
  • Store leftover bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Keywords: Cherry Coconut Magic Bars, magic bars, cherry dessert bars, coconut bars, baked dessert bars, sweetened condensed milk recipe, easy dessert bars

Find it online: https://tastygenius.com/cherry-coconut-magic-bars-recipe/