One of the very first post on this blog was an Anzac cookie and for the last few months I’ve been tossing around the idea of this bar in my head. Now, it’s finally time to post this deliciousness.
I tend to naturally have a sweet tooth, but it’s recently made itself even more prominent as the never ending problems with the renovations takes its toll on me. I have found myself seeking out more sugary foods sustain my daily routine, think tubs of ice cream, bars of chocolate (milk chocolate over dark chocolate cravings, which is totally not me) and even caramel.
If you know me, you know that I am not a caramel person, it usually tends to be too sweet.
I assume this is a normal thing to seek sweeter things in life to compensate for the not as sweet moments? Or am I overthinking it and am just odd?
Whichever the case, I can’t wait for this whole renovation thing to be over.
So, to celebrate Anzac Day that is just around the corner, here’s an Anzac “inspired” bar. I thought I would find myself baking this in a spanking new kitchen but it was just not meant to be.
I dare not call this an Anzac bar for I know how seriously some people take their Anzac cookies. I hear people screaming in sacrilege if you use honey instead of golden syrup or if you were to add chocolate or dried fruits to it etc etc. So here’s my twist on this Anzac Cookie Bar.
This is a bar that is filled with all of the familiar flavors of oats and coconut with a caramel pull to rival that of any cheese pull. It’s sweet, chewy, sticky and will satisfy your sugar cravings on those tough dreary days. And even if you aren’t having a tough day, these are great.
The best part is that it’s not hard to make and comes together rather easily.
I will however preface that the biggest challenge would be knowing when to remove the caramel from the heat to ensure you have the right gooey consistency, but I have a video clip to help you with that.
The salted coconut caramel adds a different depth of flavor that helps in balancing out the sweetness of the bars whilst also highlighting the coconut aspect of the Anzac cookie.
Your inner child will thank you for making these bars when take that first bite into it, so treat yourself to one.
Salted Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars
Makes one 8″x8″ slab
The salted coconut caramel
What you’ll need
- 250g coconut sugar
- Splash of water (approx 2 tbsp)
- 250g tin coconut milk (not the drinking kind)
- 50g butter
- 1tsp salt
Making it!
Note: When working with caramel, the mixture is really hot, so do not be tempted to touch it with your finger or have a nice taste of it straight out of the pot as you will burn yourself.
Add the sugar and water in a medium size pot and heat on medium low heat until all the sugar has melted. The water will aid in melting the sugar smoothly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. The mixture will bubble be careful.
Place it back on medium low heat for around 15mins until thickened. Keep your eye on it and stir as necessary to ensure it doesn’t burn. Please note that it will thicken up as it cools so do not try to reduce it too much. Set aside whilst you prepare your cookie dough
The Cookie Bars
What you’ll need
- 125g rolled oats
- 110g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 185g AP flour
- 100g caster sugar
- 40g light brown sugar
- 185g unsalted butter
- 60g honey
- 30g water
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Making it!
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line 8”x8” pan with baking parchment and set aside.
Combine the oats, coconut, flour, sugars and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Heat the butter, honey and water in a small saucepan over a low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the bicarbonate of soda, for about 15 seconds, until the mixture becomes light and frothy. Add the vanilla extract.
Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, mix thoroughly.
Place 150g of the cookie dough in a small bowl and set aside. This will be your top crumble.
Press the remaining cookie dough into the lined baking pan ensuring it is nicely compact into a tight even layer.
Bake for 18–20 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the sides and top.
It might look slightly soft so please do not worry. Remove from the oven.
The final assembly
Pour the caramel on top of the base and using a spatula, spread to create an even layer. Crumble the left over cookie dough (you want them to be small clumps) on top of the caramel and bake for 15-17 mins until goldenLet cool in pan fully before slicing into 20 slices. (I divided it into 5×4 slices)
Store at room temperature. The caramel should remain gooey for a few days.
Buttermilk Pantry 