Tag: coconut lover

Almond Joy Cookie Bars

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!

Top of Almond Joy Cookie Bars

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. You finish these fabulous treats with whole almonds, melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, and sliced almonds.

Wilton Pan Coconut Filling Layer

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.

Chocolate layer Almond Joy Cookie Bars

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

 

Coconut Rum Milk Punch

Coconut Rum Milk Punch: Imagine a creamy, spiked dessert drink made simply with just a handful of ingredients. Imagine a rum-spiked eggnog with no eggs. This Coconut Rum Milk Punch stars Puerto Rican white rum, and three different types of milk. Coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk–all combined together–make this cocktail magical. A dash of salt makes the flavors pop, and cinnamon is the finishing touch.

Rum Milk Punch w Cinnamon

Festive & Flavorful with Extracts

This Coconut Rum Milk Punch, has become my go-to holiday cocktail that I make again and again. It is so simple to make, and you can easily change up the flavors. Speaking of flavors, a sort-of-secret, not-so-secret of mine is to enhance the flavor with coconut extract. I love how well extracts boost the sensory impact of whatever I’m making…in a really positive way. If you have non-coconut-fans among your group, go for something else tasty. It could simply be vanilla. But how about Pistachio? Peppermint? I’ve been meaning to try orange, for a dreamsicle-like taste. Take your pick! Your options are abundant.

You could also call this drink, a Puerto Rican Coconut Eggnog, as it’s inspired by the Puerto Rican coquito (koh-KEE-toh), which has similar ingredients.

Serving Suggestions

When I’ve made this for holiday parties in the past, I poured everything together in seconds and put it in the fridge to chill. When it’s time for this tasty treat, you just shake the jar, pour it into a glass (over ice, or not, dealer’s choice), and sprinkle it with cinnamon. It does taste fantastic at room temperature too.

This milk punch is not as thick as traditional eggnog, which may be one of the reasons I love it more than eggnog. It tastes just as smooth. Speaking of smooth, for this adult beverage, choose a smooth rum. There’s no need to break the bank for the rum, especially considering coconut is the dominant flavor of this drink. The rum I used most recently was Angostura 1919 8yr rum that I got from Total Wine. It was ridiculously good.

Pistachio Rum Milk

The image above is my Pistachio-Coconut version. Jars of it make perfect gifts for any of your pistachio-loving pals.

Experiencing colder temps like Crystal and I are in Midwest? Maybe this Coconut Milk Punch can keep us warm all winter long.

Cheers-

-Cyndi