I’m heading to San Francisco this weekend! So all you Bay Area people better hide your tempeh and get to your favorite restaurants early, lest I eat everything. I’m planning on hitting up Millenium, Cafe Gratitude (say what you will, their tiramisu rocks yours), Cha Ya, Udupi Palace and Amici Pizza, which is apparently serving Cheezly pizzas with no extra vegan cheese charge. How swell! (I don’t think I’ve ever used “swell” in a sentence, but it’s the only thing that fit.) I hope to come home with plenty of food porn, but for now feast your eyes on another recipe from the upcoming Vegan Cookies book.
Magical Coconut Cookie Bars
makes 24 very rich little bars
As the song from Xanadu (the movie) goes…you got to believe we are magic, and nothing will stand in our (and your) way once you taste this unapologetically vegany version of the stuff childhood dreams are made of. Here are the nutty, chocolately, ultra-sweet and buttery-tasting graham-crackery coconut bars you loved so much as a kid. If your childhood was lacking in them, well then these are tastier than therapy for sure. The vegan secret weapon of choice here is cooked-down coconut milk, bringing in even bigger coconut flavor than ever imagined. The ever-elusive vegan butterscotch chip, should you ever have some, makes a sublime addition too.
These bars require a good overnight chilling to really firm them up before slicing, so plan accordingly.
Tip: You’ll want to use only sweetened, fluffy white flaked coconut for these. Save the natural shredded stuff for a healthy curry.
Tip: Press the graham cracker crumb crust like crazy into the pan; the more you pat it down the firmer the resulting crust will be.
One 14 oz can (regular or lite) coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
In a large saucepan whisk together coconut milk and brown sugar over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixture may form a thin skin on the surface; just stir it back into the liquid. Remove from heat and let cool while preparing the crust.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine and sugar; mix well to moisten crumbs completely. Firmly press mixture into prepared pan, pressing evenly from center to sides of pan.
Pour warm coconut milk mixture evenly over crumb base. Top with an even layer of chocolate chips, flaked coconut and nuts, in that order. Firmly pat everything down until coconut milk mixture soaks upward into the toppings. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until coconut is deeply golden and filling is bubbling, remove from oven and let entire pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to completely cool and firm up for at least 4 hours, even better overnight or until very firm. Use a sharp, heavy knife to run along the edges of bars, slide bars on parchment paper out of pan onto a cutting board then to slice into 24 squares. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. These also freeze well, tightly wrapped and allowed to thaw for 20 minutes before serving.
I just got back from San Francisco! Have a great trip. At Millennium, I thought I’d died and gone to vegan heaven. We loved the black bean torte, mushroom and walnut strudel, chantenay carrot polenta cake, and chocolate bread pudding with peanut butter ice cream.
Thanks for the recipe Isa! I am super excited about this one.
Those bars seem to be the most decadent thing ever! I may just have to give them a try very soon…
Enjoy your trip! Your plan, as far as eating goes, sounds great! I simply leafed through the Millenium cookbook a few weeks ago, and it was more than enough to know that a stop there is a must if I ever go to San Francisco…
YESSSSSS I am so excited for these!!!
This recipe looks extremely simple. I see why you call these “magical”.
I love the idea of using coconut milk in these bars, as opposed to the condensed milk found in the traditional non-vegan recipes. They look delicious!
Hooray! I’m glad you posted this one! It’s going to be a sugar-week, I can tell…
mamakim is going to be in SF this weekend too! she’s going to see leonard cohen.
Um, YUM! Must try soon. Have fun in SF!
Isa, I can vouch for Amici’s. My wife and I went to the one in Mountain View over the weekend and had their veggie pizza with the soy cheese. I’m so happy…pizza is back.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rckenned/3418082153/
We ate the last of the vegan pizza from Amici’s tonight at my house. 6 pizzas, demolished! Too bad for you!
I’ll make it tonight! THANK YOU!
Ooooh. *jealous* Have fun in the city of my birth. Wish I could be there – not to see my parents, but for the PIZZA!! But, I’ll take the Magical Coconut Bars as a consolation prize. Man, they look DANGEROUS.
A plea from over the pond – could someone describe to me what graham crackers are like so I can decide what I could substute for them???
Jemima – A graham cracker is more or less the same as a digestive biscuit in the UK 🙂
These look fantastic!
Oh! I can’t wait for that magical deliciousness to be devoured by me!!!!
Eeeeeeee!! *Jumps up and down* This was the recipe I was hoping for. I can’t waaait to make them!
May I humbly suggest a place called Weird Fish? They do a fantastic vegan fish n chips!
Thank you! They look so amazing.
W.O.W.
How I used to love these bars as a kid (we called them Hello Dollies, as I recall). The use of coconut milk is pure brilliance here. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into one of those. 🙂
AhhhhH!!! Thank you thank you thank you! I have been craving these ever since you posted the pictures. When does the magical cookie book come out?
those look delicious!!!!
don’t pass up on maggie mudd’s! i just got back from san francisco, and that place had like fifteen kinds of giant vegan ice cream sundaes!
Thanks for sharing!
If you’re coming to the bay area, I suggest you stop in Oakland and check out the following vegan option restaurants and cafes:
Manzanita, Lanesplitters Pizza, Vegan Plaza, The Breakroom, MamaBuzz, Cafe Tomate…
And if you get a chance you might want to head over to Sausalito where there is an amazing Indian/Mexican fusion restaurant called Avatars. If you tell the owner that you’re vegan he will take away your menu and bring you the best meal you’ve ever had!
What, no Herbivore? (http://www.herbivorerestaurant.com/) Delicious, but slow service.
I’d love to join you for dinner at Millennium – would love to meet you! Also, I’m friends with the chef there… drop me a line.
Herbivore is *meh* – the food is “ok” but not worth going out of your way. Neither is Manzanita – way overpriced for what it is, seriously. It’s basically steamed veg & millet with very little seasoning and way pricey.
I do recommend going to Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley – the location there is a much bigger restaurant in what used to be Il Fornaiao – gorgeous brick building with a fireplace. Also recommend the Telegraph Lanesplitters by my house over the one on San Pablo – and would be happy to join you there (likely end up there after riding up to the Wall with some friends on motorcycles anyway).
so awesome! i would totally make a huge batch of these and stash them in my freezer for when sweet cravings hit…
I thought that Amici’s soy cheese had casein in it…..hmm….
Thanks for your advice Siobhan, Cookie Bars here I come!!
Those look so delicious, I’ve never used coconut milk before. I’m gonna try these soon!
omg does this mean you’re not coming to my dinner that is about me leaving, not you?
Isa, you are awesome and generous. I am a fan.
don’t miss herbivore – two locations – the mission is better. GREAT food!
*Homer Simpson voice* Mmmm coconut!
Enjoy San Francisco and all its vegan greatness!!
nobel prize in coconut.
i wish i could eat those RIGHT NOW!! yummmmmmm….
So freaking awesome! Thanks so much. I hope you have a great time in the city!
thank you thank you thank you thank you!
you’re sweeter than a magic cookie to tolerate all of our collective begging :0)
Isa – this may be one of the best ‘your cookie was so good’ stories.
I made these for a phonebank I did for Equality Maine, making calls to find supporters of samesex marriage and get them to call their legislators (Oh, and I turned the name into “Magical Gay Bars” – hope that’s cool).
I gave one to a friend who was walking the opposite direction than me on my way there. A few minutes later, I see him literally running around a building, interrupting his presumably busy day,coming after me asking for the recipe.
“Oh my god, these are so good! Can you give me the recipe??!?! Normally, when I hear vegan, I’m like hmmmm, but these are AMAZING”
The words I just typed do no justice to the facial expression.
The reactions at the phonebank were equally pleased, and the leftover three were eaten delightfully by the student I taught afterwards.
In short, you spread joy all across campus today. Be proud.
I second Weird Fish (in the Mission). They also do vegan brunch!
Yummm!
Wow – I have just eaten my first one of these and it was amazing!! I was so unconvinced that they would even come out of the pan but they did like magic!! Really easy to put together as well. Thanks Isa for sharing your recipes so generously, this one rocks.
Have fun!!
Isa, you missed a real treat on your trip to the Bay Area. Next time, add Vegi Food in Berkeley to your list. They are just up Shattuck from Cafe Gratitude on Vine just west of Shattuck. They are an Asian-style vegan restaurant that has been very popular for probably more than 30 years. My favorite is their black bean and tofu chow mein.
I’ve been wanting to make something with coconut! yay!
I cheated and used a storebought graham cracker crust, but these were delicious! I’m going to have to freeze the rest or make myself sick eating it all.
These are absolutely amazing! But the four hours or overnight part, pffft, I was eating them with a fork immediately out of the oven, molten chocolate and all. You are seriously my hero for this, seven layers are the one thing I seriously missed and had pondered over getting right forever. And I’m lucky to have Food Lion nearby for the butterscotch goodness.