Fresh cherries and coconut are baked into a gooey, sweetly tart filling over a crisp shortbread crust to create these Cherry Coconut Bars.
These bars were a huge hit with friends and family when I made them and there wasn’t a single bar leftover.
With fresh cherries finally in abundance, I’m making the most of them while they last. The season (read: the inexpensive cherries) will only last a few weeks and we’ve been eating cherries almost every day.
For more cherry inspiration, check out a few more great recipes!
How To Make A Homemade Cherry Pitter
Chocolate Cherry Almond Brownies
Berry Cherry Breakfast Smoothie
Brown Sugar and Almond Cherry Coffeecake
Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Baking Tip: If you would like to double this recipe, it will fill a standard 9×13 pan. You can make this recipe in an 8, 9 or 10 inch square pan. Simply increase the cooking times by a minute or two for slightly thicker bars in the smaller size pans. If you decide to double the recipe, the bars freeze well and thaw perfectly in less than an hour.Get New Recipessent to your inbox!Sign me up!We never share your information with third parties and will protect it in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Cherry Coconut Bars {traditional and gluten free recipes}
5 from 1 voteFresh cherries and coconut are baked into a gooey, sweetly tart filling over a crisp shortbread crust to create these Cherry Coconut Bars.SavePinPrintReviewServings: 12 bars
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- ▢½ cup butter melted
- ▢½ cup light brown sugar
- ▢1 cup all purpose flour *
* Gluten Free Alternative for the Crust
- ▢⅓ cup tapioca starch
- ▢⅔ cup brown rice flour
Filling Ingredients
- ▢1 cup pitted and diced fresh sweet cherries about 2 cups worth whole cherries
- ▢1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ▢1/3 cup light brown sugar
- ▢¼ cup all purpose flour **
- ▢¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ▢2 eggs
- ▢2 teaspoons almond extract
- ▢1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, about 1/2 a lemon
** Gluten Free Alternative for the Filling
- ▢¼ cup brown rice flour
Topping Ingredients
- ▢1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the butter, sugar, and flour for the crust. Press the mixture into the bottom of a well-greased or parchment lined 10” square pan. Bake for 12 minutes
- Remove from the oven and let the crust cool for 10 minutes while preparing the filling. Place the diced cherries and 1 cup of shredded coconut in a bowl. Sprinkle with flour, brown sugar and salt. Stir to coat. Mix together the eggs, almond extract and lemon juice and stir into the cherry mixture.
- Pour the filling over the crust and top with the remaining coconut. Bake for 25-27 minutes, until the coconut turns golden brown. Let cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
