Coconut Blondie Bites

Bar cookies, including blondies and brownies, are known for being quick and easy to make. They’re even quicker when you turn them into bite-sized morsels using a mini muffin pan instead of a traditional baking dish. These Coconut Blondie Bites are bite-sized blondies that are loaded with shredded coconut. While they’re not a traditional blondie shape, the buttery cookies still have a crisp edge and the wonderfully chewy texture than you probably associate with the classic bar cookies.

The recipe is very easy to put together and you can mix it up in a matter of minutes. Like most blondie and brownie recipes, it starts with melted butter and uses no leavening, which makes for a dense and chewy cookie. A generous amount of sweetened, shredded coconut is added to the batter and you’ll get plenty in every bite. While I usually say that you can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut, the softer sweetened coconut works a little bit better in this particular recipe (though the unsweetened kind will still be tasty if that is all you have on hand). The finished blondies are buttery, chewy and have a flavor similar to that of a coconut macaroon – only much more delicious.

I included coconut rum in this recipe, rather than coconut extract. I find that some extracts have a bit of an artificial flavor when it comes to coconut and, while I wanted to amp up the coconut flavor, I still wanted the blondies to taste like shredded coconut, butter and vanilla. Adding coconut rum, which has a milder flavor than coconut extract was the perfect solution. Pick a clear coconut rum (I recommend Captain Morgan, which has a very clean flavor, but Malibu will work) for best results. If you don’t want to use rum – and keep in mind that the alcohol will cook out during baking – double the vanilla extract and add 1/4 tsp of coconut extract to the batter.

Be sure to allow the blondies to cool in the pan for several minutes before pulling them out. They’ll be tender as they cool and may break if you try to get them out too early. If they stick, simply run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen them. You can also bake these in mini muffin wrappers if you prefer.

Coconut Blondie Bites
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut rum
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven 350F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups with oil or butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar. Blend in egg, vanilla extract, coconut rum and salt.
Stir in flour and shredded coconut, mixing until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Divide mixture evenly into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the blondies are golden on the edges and appear set. Allow blondies to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then give them a little twist to loosen them and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If blondies stick, slide a knife around the edge of each cavity to loosen them.

Makes 24.