Mom’s Three-Layer Bars
I love this dessert. It’s rich, delicious and easy. The combination of the shortbread-like crust, sweet pecan and coconut filling and creamy frosting bring back great memories for me. My mom still makes these as well as a truly decadent chocolate mint brownie at Christmas. They keep really well in the freezer for weeks so you can make a batch and just take a few out at a time. There aren’t any secret tricks to this recipe. Just make sure that you let the bars cool completely before frosting them. I also put them in the fridge for an hour or so before cutting them.
1st Layer
½ pound butter slightly softened and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup sugar
2 cups AP flour
½ cup cornstartch
pinch of salt
Blend all ingredients with a pastry blender in a large bowl until butter is in pebble sized pieces. Press into a 12×16 pan. A jelly roll pan works well, but a 9×13 is ok.
Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes. Let cool.
2nd Layer
4 large eggs at room temp
2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons AP flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups shredded coconut
Mix eggs and sugar. Add flour, baking powder and vanilla. Stir in pecans and coconut. Pour over first layer.
Bake @ 300 for 15-20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
3rd Layer
1 stick softened butter
8 oz. softened cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer. Add in vanilla. Add sugar one cup at a time, scrape sides of the bowl as needed. Spread onto cooled bars. Cut into squares. These bars may be frozen between layers of wax paper.