Macaroon Madness Bars feature a sweet and chewy coconut layer with a hint of chocolate and a pecan shortbread-like crust.
Here in Canada, there is a store called M&M Food Market (formerly known as M&M Meat Shop) that sells frozen foods that you bake or reheat at home. My mom shopped there often when I was a teen.
They also sell a variety of desserts, which are an excellent time-saver for parties. One of these desserts was called Macaroon Madness Bars, and Mr. Dreamboat was very fond of them. While these particular bars seemed to be popular, they have disappeared from the M&M website, and I'm not sure when or why they don't appear to sell them at the moment, or anymore.
But not to worry. I got it in my mind that I was going to recreate these sweet, coconutty bars, and if you were fond of them too, you're in luck. After a couple of test bakes, you too can make your own Macaroon Madness Bars at home. They make a great addition to any Christmas baking tray.
How to make Macaroon Madness Bars
Making your very own batch of Macaroon Madness Bars starts with making the crust. I use my food processor for this, since grinding pecans to a cornmeal-like texture is part of it.
After you process the crust ingredients together, it will sort of look like damp sand. Use your hands, a spatula, or the bottom of a small glass or measuring cup to firmly press this crust mixture into a parchment-lined 9x9" baking pan (the mixture will seem quite dry, and won't really look like it will stick together to form a crust, but it will). Bake the crust for about 20 minutes.
While you're waiting for the crust to bake, start making the filling. Use a hand mixer to beat together some brown sugar, corn syrup, an egg, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until the mixture is pale and foamy-looking. Fold in the unsweetened coconut and chocolate chips.
Pour the filling onto the baked crust, and bake again for about 25 minutes until the top is golden brown (the center should still jiggle when the pan is gently shaken).
Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired, and cool completely before cutting (consider chilling in the fridge or freezer for the cleanest cuts). Transfer the bars to a large cutting board by lifting the parchment paper. Peel off the parchment, and cut into your desired size using a large, sharp knife. Serve at room temperature.
Macaroon Madness Bars Storage
Store any leftover squares in an airtight container or zipper bag in the fridge or freezer.
Macaroon Madness Bars Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - This is needed for the crust of the bars, giving it a shortbread-like texture.
- Pecan halves - pecans are ground and used in the crust for a nutty flavor and texture. See below for substitution ideas.
- Brown sugar - this is used in both the crust and the coconut filling. I used light brown sugar, but you could also use dark brown sugar for a richer molasses flavor.
- Salt - a little salt is used in both the crust and the coconut filling. It doesn't make the bars taste overly salty, but it does help to cut the sweetness and adds a depth of flavor.
- Unsalted butter - this is used in both the crust and the filling. The butter in the crust should be cold and cut into cubes. The butter for the filling is melted. Use a dairy-free butter alternative to make your bars dairy-free.
- Light corn syrup or golden syrup - this is used in the filling to add sweetness and stickiness.
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Unsweetened shredded coconut - I chose to use unsweetened coconut to keep the bars from being excessively sweet. If you like extra sweet desserts, you could use sweetened shredded coconut.
- Chocolate chips - these are added to the filling to add some chocolatey flavor and texture. They are optional - see below for substitution ideas.
- Dark, milk, and/or white chocolate - this is for melting and drizzling on top of the bars. It's optional, mostly for decoration/appearance.
Macaroon Madness Bars Substitutions
Pecans (In Crust)
If you don't like, don't have, or can't eat pecans, you have a couple of substitution options. If you just don't have any, I suggest substituting an equal amount of walnuts.
If you can't eat pecans, I would suggest replacing them with more shredded coconut. This will keep the texture of the crust similar to if you used pecans (make sure you process it, just as you would with the pecans), and will give your bars extra coconut flavor.
Chocolate Chips
If you don't want to add chocolate chips to your bars (or you don't have any), you can feel free to skip them altogether. This ensures that the coconut flavor and texture is at the forefront. You could also choose to use a different type of chocolate chip, like milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even butterscotch chips. Skip the chocolate or use dairy-free chocolate chips to make your bars dairy-free.
Want more dessert square recipes?
Macaroon Madness Bars Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one bar if you use the recipe to make 16 bars. If you cut your bars into larger or smaller pieces, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
The nutrition information calculations do not include chocolate drizzled on top of the bars, but does include the optional chocolate chips in the filling.
To make this recipe dairy-free, use a dairy-free butter alternative, as well as dairy-free chocolate chips.
Macaroon Madness Bars
Equipment
- Food Processor or mini food processor
- Hand Mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup pecan halves
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into ¼-inch pieces (use a dairy-free butter alternative to make these bars dairy-free)
Coconut Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup or golden syrup
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (use a dairy-free butter alternative to make these bars dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup chocolate chips optional (skip the chocolate or use dairy-free chocolate chips to make your bars dairy-free)
- dark, milk, and/or white chocolate optional, for drizzling on top (skip the chocolate or use a dairy-free chocolate to make your bars dairy-free)
Instructions
Crust
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x9" baking pan by lining it with parchment paper (cut the paper about 4 inches larger than the bottom of the pan, crease the paper where the edges of the pan will be, and cut vertical slits in each of the 4 corners of the paper).
- Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup pecan halves, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the bowl of a food processor or mini food processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the cubed butter and pulse the food processor again, until the mixture resembles damp coarse sand.
- Press the pecan mixture firmly into the parchment-lined baking pan, ensuring that the crust will be of even thickness and that it reaches into the corners. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes until it becomes fragrant and slightly browned.
Coconut Filling
- While you're waiting for the crust to bake, start preparing the filling. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat together ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup light corn syrup, 1 large egg, the melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon salt until the mixture appears pale and foamy. Fold in 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and ¼ cup chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Pour the coconut filling mixture onto the pre-cooked crust, smoothing the top and making sure the filling reaches the corners of the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the filling appears golden brown on top and the edges of the squares are set but the filling still jiggles when gently shaken. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely to room temperature, about 2 hours. If you need your squares to cool faster, put the pan in the fridge for about an hour, or the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
- If desired, melt about 2-4 Tablespoons of dark, milk, and/or white chocolate to drizzle over the top of your cooked squares (you can drizzle using a spoon or spatula, or, for the most control, use a squeeze bottle or piping bag). Let the chocolate set before cutting.
- Carefully lift the parchment paper out of the pan and move to a cutting board. Cut the squares into your desired size using a large chef's knife. Serve at room temperature, keeping any leftovers in an airtight container or zipper bag in the fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
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