Almond Joy Coconut Custard Bars (Dangerously Good!)
I think these gooey almond joy coconut custard bars need a disclaimer: your life will never be the same after you have had this decadent, buttery coconut dessert! It’s like the gooey inside of an almond joy bar– but 100x BETTER!
I’m not kidding when I say that these babies are dangerous. My mom once brought these bars to a church event and there was a scabble between a few of the church ladies for the last piece. The argument had to be resolved through a coin toss.
Hence, these are dangerously good, and probably will not last very long! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Almond Joy Coconut Custard Bars: The Perfect Potluck Dessert
As mentioned above, these are the same coconut bars that caused an argument! That’s the kind of recipe that I want to eat!
But really, these almond joy coconut custard bars are a wonderful addition to your holiday cookie exchange, potluck, picnic, or any place with lots of hungry people. Twice this past year, I sent my teacher’s husband into the faculty room with a plate of these bars, and both times, they were all devoured! 🙂
This recipe makes a big batch which is great for sharing (or not sharing…no judgement here!). If you want to be invited back anywhere, I suggest bringing these coconut bars.
How to Make Almond Joy Coconut Custard Bars
The great news about these almond joy coconut custard bars is that they are SO simple to make! Follow my steps below to make this easy, nearly foolproof recipe!
Prep For the Recipe
There’s not much prep to do for this particular recipe. I suggest chopping the almonds ahead of time at this stage. Then, preheat the oven to 350℉. You’ll also want to spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside for later.
Make the Crust
We are going to start this recipe off with a shortbread-like crust. It’s a pretty simple recipe: Add all of the crust ingredients (flour, brown sugar, unsalted butter, and salt) to a bowl and mix until combined. Then dump the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and, using your hands, press the mixture down to form a crust.
Bake the crust at 350℉ for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the crust and turn the oven temperature down to 325℉.
Create the Coconut Almond Custard
While the crust is baking, we will prepare the coconut custard layer.
In a large bowl, mix 1 can of condensed milk with eggs, brown sugar, and salt. Next, stir in 3 cups of shredded sweetened coconut and chopped almonds ( I reserve a little bit of the chopped almonds to sprinkle over the top) into the wet mixture. Pour the coconut custard over the crust. Top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded sweetened coconut. Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the custard, but avoid mixing it into the custard.
Bake It Like It’s Hot
Now that our oven temperature has been reduced to 325℉, we can add our almond joy coconut custard bars back into the oven (middle rack) to bake for another 25-30 minutes at 325℉.
You will notice some browning around the sides and tops of the coconut bars when they are done.
Cool & Top With Chocolate
When the coconut custard bars have finished baking, remove them from the oven and complete the most difficult step: waiting.
Wait for the bars to completely cool prior to starting the chocolate. When your bars have cooled down considerably from the oven, you can get started on the chocolate drizzle. Add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to a microwave-safe dish with 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil). Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth and drizzle-able.
Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the top of the coconut bars and sprinkle the chocolate with flaky salt, if desired. Let the chocolate set.
Enjoy
Easily the best step: cut the bars into squares and ENJOY!!!!
The Ingredients
flour:
Flour is used in this recipe to make the crust. I use all-purpose flour for this recipe and have not experimented with other types of flour, if you do, let me know how it goes in the comments section below.
unsalted butter:
I use unsalted butter in this recipe so that I am able to control the salt levels myself. You can use salted butter, but make sure to adjust the amount of salt that you add to this recipe accordingly.
sweetened shredded coconut
You will want to use sweetened shredded coconut–not the unsweetened stuff to achieve the right consistency and flavor of this recipe, I do not recommend swapping it out.
eggs
Eggs help to make this recipe a little more custardy in the flavor and texture of the bar. The eggs also act as a binder in this recipe. I have not tried this recipe with egg substitutes, but let me know how it goes in the comment section below if you try it out!
sweetened condensed milk
Does a dessert recipe with sweetened condensed milk even have a chance of being bad? This ingredient literally makes any dessert good. In these almond joy coconut custard bars, the sweetened condensed milk adds the PERFECT gooeyness and sweetness to the cookie bars. I firmly believe it’s the sweetened condensed milk that makes this recipe as dangerously addicting as it is.
salt
Salt is added a few times in this recipe to flavor the individual layers of the dessert. Make sure to adjust your salt content if you swap ingredients like unsalted almonds or unsalted butter for salted versions of either. I will ALWAYS recommend flaky salt on top of the coconut bars ALL DAY LONG. If you have it, don’t skimp out!
chopped unsalted almonds
We need almonds to have proper almond joy-inspired cookie bars! I prefer the chopped almonds in this recipe to the slivered or shaved almonds. The chopped almonds have more of a crunch to them and are SO much better. They are a bit more of a splurge, but. splurge that I believe is worth it! If you use salted almonds, make sure to adjust your salt levels!
brown sugar
Brown sugar can be used in this recipe to sweeten up the crust and the coconut layer. I like to use brown sugar as opposed to white sugar for the deeper flavor profile that it offers.
chocolate chips
I don’t specify what type of chocolate chips to use, I prefer to use dark chocolate chips ALWAYS. But you can’t go wrong with chocolate. Milk or dark chocolate will all be great!
coconut oil
Add the coconut oil to the chocolate chips to help the chocolate melt and spread better. It also makes the chocolate a bit more glossy and softer when it sets (this makes it a bit easier to bite into!) 🙂
How To Store Your Almond Joy Coconut Custard Bars
You can store your coconut custard bars at room temperature for 3-4 days in a sealed container, or they can last for up to a week in the fridge.
Personally, I think that is one of those better-the-second-day types of recipes! I love to make these ahead of time and enjoy them leftover the best!
You Might Also Like
If you haven’t noticed, I have a bit of a sweet tooth! I LOVE making (and eating) sweet treats! Below, I have listed some of my absolute favorite dessert recipes! If you love this recipe, be sure to check out these tried and true recipes below!
Almond Joy Coconut Custard Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup melted butter unsalted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Almond Coconut Custard Layer
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut divided
- 3 eggs
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Chocolate Drizzle
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add all of the crust ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Then dump the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and press the mixture down to form a crust. Bake the crust at 350℉ for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the crust and turn the oven temperature down to 325℉.
- While the crust is baking, we will prepare the coconut custard layer. In a large bowl, mix 1 can of condensed milk with eggs, brown sugar, and salt. Next, stir in 3 cups of shredded sweetened coconut and chopped almonds into the wet mixture. Pour the coconut custard over the crust. Top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded sweetened coconut. Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the custard, but avoid mixing it into the custard.
- Bake the coconut almond custard bars for 25-30 minutes at 325℉.
- Let the bars cool completely. Add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to a microwave-safe dish with 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil (or olive oil). Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth and drizzle-able. Drizzle the chocolate over the coconut custard bars. Sprinkle the drizzled chocolate with flaky salt, if desired.
- Enjoy!
