Blue Ribbon Group Almond Joy Cookie Bars
South Carolina State Fair-Best Sweet Treat Winning Recipe
These Almond Joy Cookie Bars will bring utter joy to any almond, chocolate, or coconut lover. With three decadent layers, these bars are thick, dense and delicious!
Thanks to almond extract, whole toasted almonds, and sliced toasted almonds, these sensational sweet treats burst with almond flavor. The shredded coconut filling, chocolate, and almonds altogether give them an addictive texture that’s crunchy, chewy, and rich, all at the same time. AND…they are super easy to make.
3 Easy Pieces
- Making these Almond Joy Cookie Bars, only takes three main stages. You par-bake a lush cookie crust made simply with butter, corn syrup, egg yolk, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Next you mix shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk with almond extract, then bake that mixture on top of the cookie crust as the filling. Check out the gooey good look of the filling (image below).
- You finish these fabulous treats with whole almonds, melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, and sliced almonds.
Top Preparation Tip
Using parchment to line your pan will make removing the bars from the pan and cutting them easy peasy. Once they’re chilled, all you need to do is lift them out by the parchment edges. Here’s a shot of the bars once they’ve chilled. This time I made them, I didn’t add the almond slices until just before serving. Just look at how is golden brown the crust is and how jammed the bars are with almonds.
Blue Ribbon Winning Sweet Treat
Recipe credit goes to Tammy Michalec of Leesville who won a KARO best recipe contest at her local fair, the South Carolina State Fair with this recipe.
Want More Almond Joyfulness?
Hey all you almond, coconut and chocolate lovers! If you love this recipe, be sure not to miss our Mounds of Joy Cake also. In January 2021, it was one of our #1 most popular recipe on the site.
Enjoy!
Cyndi
Almond Joy Cookie Bars
Crust:
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coconut Filling:
1 (14 ounce) bag sweetened shredded coconut
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
Topping:
1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup whole almonds, toasted
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment, extending sides by 2-inches. In medium mixing bowl, beat butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and egg yolk until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix on low 2 minutes until mostly combined. Finish mixing with clean, dry hands, until dough is blended. Pat into prepared pan. Bake 5 minutes.
Coconut Filling: In medium bowl, mix coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla until blended.
Assembly: Gently spread coconut mixture over par-baked crust, being careful not to crack the crust. Bake another 25 minutes, until edges of coconut start to brown. Remove from oven. Add whole toasted almonds and half the sliced toasted almonds. Top with chocolate chips. Return to oven to melt the chocolate—about 2-3 minutes—just until you can spread the chocolate around. Sprinkle with remaining toasted almond slices. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Lift parchment and move to cutting surface. Slice into bars. Makes 36 bars.
