Purity Copycat Coconut Bars

Being born and raised a Newfoundlander, I’ve had my fair share of Purity brand cookies and treats. By far, the most delicious, and my personal favourite, are the coconut bars. This Purity Copycat Coconut Bars recipe is for everyone who moved away from home and cannot easily find Purity products, and also, for those of us who think there should have been more than 10 of those coconut bars packed into the assorted biscuits package!

Traditional recipes can be passed down from generation to generation, or it can simply be the food we grew up with. Purity Copycat Coconut Bars are both! They are eaten year-round in Newfoundland, but to me, they always taste better at Christmastime. There is nothing that can beat this homestyle coconut-based cookie – no exception!

You know, we all grow up and leave home at some point; some of us earlier than others.  When I was quite young, my parents relocated from Newfoundland to Ontario.  It was quite the adjustment, let me tell you!  From a town of 500 or so to a town of 3,500 was a big change. There were so many firsts – the first time on a plane, the first time in a coffee shop, the first time being able to have pizza delivered, and the first time being able to walk to a shopping mall.

Not all change means new things though.  There are some things brought by change that are not welcomed.  For me, it was the things that I had to say goodbye to that bothered me the most.  I’m a traditionalist; I’m a lover and supporter of routine and preserving normalcy.  Change of location does away with routine and normalcy. Little did I know at the time that I would also miss out on some of the traditional food items that we would eat regularly.  I loved the coconut bars in those Purity Brand variety packs. Why were they only ever available in a variety pack though? This recipe allows me to make a whole batch of them at home without having to bother with the other flavours and textures in those packs!

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into this brand-new series, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. And now, I’m starting out on this new series, which is the sixth annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the sixth year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 6! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family. 

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Toasted Coconut
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder
• Ground Cinnamon
• Butter – Make sure your butter is softened and at room temperature.
• Brown Sugar
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Extract

HOW TO MAKE PURITY COPYCAT COCONUT BARS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until they are well combined. Beat in the egg and both extracts. Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon to the bowl and on low speed, beat into the butter mixture until just incorporated. Add the toasted coconut and fold it in with a spatula.

Divide the cookie dough into two halves. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rectangular-shaped cookie cutter, press it into the dough to cut out the shape. Leave the cookie cutter pressed into the dough! Use a fork and lightly drag the tines of the fork down the length of the cookie several times, if needed, to create scores in the dough. Continue to do this until you have used up all of the space on the rolled dough.

Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the dough as needed to get as many cookies as possible. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until the cookie is lightly golden brown in colour. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

THE BEST TYPE OF COCONUT TO USE

When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, with the addition of sugar, your Copycat Purity Coconut Bars will be too sweet to eat!

You’ll want to use an unsweetened medium coconut. The size of the grated coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to cut into it. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier slice and you want your delicious cookies to look just as amazing as they taste! Most cookie cutters do not have any sharp edges, so they won’t easily cut through longer strands of coconut. It’s best to avoid the hassle and use medium coconut.

HOW TO TOAST COCONUT

Toasting coconut is easier than frying an egg! I use that comparison because when my daughter was learning to cook, she was so excited when was able to master the perfect over-easy egg.

When toasting coconut, all you need is a skillet, a whisk, and some patience. Place the coconut into the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Do not for one minute think that you can walk away from the skillet to do something else. And, don’t ever think that you can stop moving the coconut around the pan. It will burn. And, it will burn fast!

Use a stainless steel skillet; not one of those non-stick types. Use a metal whisk or wooden spoon. Continuously – and, I mean continuously! – move the coconut around the skillet. Slowly, but eventually, you’ll notice that the coconut is losing that bright white colour. It will fade into an off-white until finally, it begins to turn a nice golden, yellowish-brown colour.

Turn off the heat and get the coconut out of the hot skillet. The residual heat will continue to brown the coconut and you don’t want that to happen. Transfer the coconut to a wide, shallow bowl so that it can spread out. This will stop the toasting and you’ll be left with the most delicious coconut ever!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Purity Copycat Coconut Bars, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!