High Altitude Coconut Lemon Bars

These coconut lemon bars have a buttery, coconut shortbread base, with a sweet and tart lemon filling, sprinkled with coconut flakes.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings9

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment paper, or lightly spray the pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a bowl, combine the flour, 2/3 cup coconut, sugar and salt. Scatter the cold pieces of butter over the flour mixture, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until moistened, crumbly, and no visible pieces of butter remain. You can also use a food processor instead of a pastry cutter, pulsing the mixture until crumbly and combined.
Press the crumbs firmly against the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Use a microplane zester to zest the lemons. In a bowl, use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar, then whisk in the flour.
Juice the lemons, measuring 1/2 cup juice. Whisk the lemon juice and the eggs into the filling mixture until smooth.
After the pre-baked crust has cooled for 5 minutes, whisk up the filling again, and carefully pour over the hot crust. Bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the 1/3 cup coconut over the filling, and bake for 2-3 minutes more, just to lightly toast the coconut.
Let cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours, before slicing. These bars can be served slightly warm, at room temperature, or cold from the refrigerator.

Leftover bars should be stored in an airtight container, and are best eaten within 1-2 days.

Keyword Coconut, Cookie Bars, Lemon, Shortbread