Chocolate chip macaroon bars

These chocolate chip macaroon bars are inspired by chef Dominique Ansel and his brilliance. He put together two fantastic things and came out with something new and special – the Cronut. Why don’t we all do that more often? So I took two desserts that I could eat every day – chocolate chip cookies and coconut macaroons – and put them together. Warm, chewy, chocolate chip cookie bar covered in rich, sweet, coconut clouds. It’s not brain surgery, but it’s pretty smart.

Credit: Samantha Seneviratne

• makes

  16

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 110 g (½ cup) caster (granulated) sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 110 g (¾ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 210 g sweetened flaked coconut

Cookie base

• 185 g (1¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 125 g softened unsalted butter, chopped
• 75 g (⅓ cup) caster (granulated) sugar
• 150 g (⅔ firmly packed cup) brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped dark chocolate
• ½ cup roasted pecans, roughly chopped

Cooling time 1 hour

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease a 23 cm square baking pan and line with baking paper, leaving 5 cm overhang.

To make the cookie base, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Fold in the chocolate and pecans. Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 13–15 minutes or until light golden and just set.

Meanwhile, to make the macaroon top, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Add the flour and all but ½ cup coconut, and stir to combine.

Right when the cookie base comes out of the oven, spread the coconut mixture evenly over the top (wet your fingers with a little water to make the job easier). Sprinkle the top with the remaining ½ cup coconut. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden and set. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Using the baking paper, lift out of the pan, then transfer to a chopping board and cut into 16 bars.

Recipe from Love, Cake by Samantha Seneviratne, with photography by Samantha Seneviratne.

Read our interview with Samantha and find more recipes from her blog here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.