Almost Sausalito Cookie Bars

I ask you. What beats coconut and chocolate in a cookie recipe- especially if they happen to be gluten-free? Coconut and chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Okay, I confess. My all-time favorite cookies in those innocent pre-gluten-free days were not some hoity-toity gourmet bakery confection but those bagged big and bumpy Pepperidge Farm chocolate chunk cookies you could get in any East Coast grocery store. Yup. If memory serves me well, my go-to favorite featured coconut and chocolate. They might have been called Sausalito. Or some such California-evoking moniker.

In our quest to tweak one of our favorite dessert bar recipes this week my cookie-making husband and I came up with a chocolate chip coconut cookie bar that tastes an awful lot like those beloved crunchy-chewy Pepperidge Farm gems. We didn't happen to have any macadamia nuts on hand- but if we did I would have added some to the recipe.

And for those of you who loved dunking those Pepperidge Farm Nantucket Cookies into a glass of ice cold milk- Babycakes, these are dunk worthy.

READ MORE: GET THE RECIPE »

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares

I needed a chocolate cookie bar recipe STAT. 

We were invited to coffee at neighbor Joey's this morning. And Babycakes, you don't go empty-handed to such a generous hunky guy's casa, now do you?

So I got busy.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares Recipe

I'm always experimenting; these little temptations arose from a desire to have a chocolate chip cookie without having to stand there for an hour rolling balls of dough and babysitting batches of baking cookies. I happen to like coconut (and the way it moistens crumbly gluten-free dough) so there is flaked coconut in this recipe. I know. Not very traditional for a chocolate chip cookie dough recipe.

But do we care?

Ingredients:

3 large free-range organic eggs

1/2 cup safflower oil or Spectrum Organic Shortening

2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract

1 cup firmly packed organic light brown sugar

2 cups Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix* or other self-rising gluten-free pancake and baking mix

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut*

1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for the top

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF [if you live above 5,000 feet, set your oven temp to 375 ºF]. Lightly oil or line with parchment a 10x13-inch baking pan.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat by hand.

Using a rubber or silicone spatula, spread the dough evenly in the baking pan. Add extra chips to the top and lightly press into the batter.

Bake on a center rack until the bars are set and golden brown - about 21 to 25 minutes, depending upon your oven and altitude - and do not over-bake - you want them a bit chewy.

Allow the bars to cool on a wire rack before cutting.

Makes 18 squares.

I wrap the squares in foil when cool, and freeze them in a large zip-lock freezer bag.

Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

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Enjoy sugary treats in moderation. Gluten-Free Goddess advises consuming no more than 2 tablespoons of sugar a day.

Karina's Notes:

Make these GF/CF with a dairy-free self-rising flour mix and dairy-free chips. 

If you do not have Pamela's try using another all-purpose leavened gluten-free baking and pancake mix; or substitute your own personal favorite g-free flour blend and add a teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum or guar gum. 

If you don't want the chewy texture of flaked coconut but desire the extra moistness it imparts to gluten-free baking, try processing the coconut into a fine crumb.