This recipe is from the Brown Eyed Baker site. (Great site BTW!) And boy oh boy are these bar cookies good. No wait. Good isn’t good enough. These are GREAT bar cookies. And ever so easy to make. You don’t even need a mixer. And I always say hurray to that. One less thing to bring out of my pantry.

So I made this recipe last week for Mr. C. and the other members of Seabreeze (a 7 piece jazz band) who rehearse once a week. And when it’s our turn to host the rehearsal, I make sure the guys get a homemade goodie for their break. (I’d actually go so far as to cook lunch for the guys if that’s what it took to bring them from Bellingham and surrounding areas to our home to practice. Because I absolutely love listening to them play. And because they are all really wonderful guys. But please don’t tell them I’d fix them lunch. I’m trying to reduce my commitments, not add to them. So for now I’m going to stick with serving them a homemade treat.) But enough about why I made these bar cookies.

As far as I’m concerned, bar cookies are the greatest time saving invention ever to hit my kitchen. And as I’ve already stated, these cookies are a snap to prepare. Just mix all the ingredients together, slap the batter into a greased pan, and throw the whole mess in the oven. 30 or so minutes later, take the pan out of the oven, place it on a cooling rack, and cut into whatever size pieces you want when cooled. Could not be easier.

So next time you bake a treat for your family or friends, give this recipe a try. These cookies are truly delightful. In fact they were recently awarded “the jazz musician’s seal of approval”. So you don’t have to take my word for how great these cookies taste. You now have verification from true experts. Thank you gentlemen!

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1½ c. light brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1½ tsp. vanilla extract  

1½ c. unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

1 c. roughly chopped macadamia nuts

1 c. white chocolate chips

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and light brown sugar until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Using a rubber spatula, add the dry ingredients to the bowl and gently fold them into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the toasted coconut, macadamia nuts, and white chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking pan (glass preferably); smooth the batter into an even layer.

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (350 degrees if the pan is metal) until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 30 – 33 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars as needed.

The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.