No Bake Coconut Fudge Bars

There’s something about Dessert bars which makes them very alluring to make as well as eat – what I love the most about these is the versatility of the recipe, you can mix and match your favorite ingredients to create bars that suit your mood and food! Combine fruits with cookie crumbs and spices for seasonal fruit bars, or take the chocolate route by making these Coconut Fudge Bars. Evaporated milk acts as the binding agent which means you don’t need to bake these in the oven. Just make the graham cracker crumb, boil all the other liquid ingredients and pour them over the crust. Then toss it into the refrigerator to freeze and voila – you are done!

No Bake recipes are always a welcome treat to foodies, as they let you entertain family and friends, without too much hassle. These Coconut Fudge Bars can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days. They are perfect treats to take to a Potluck party, or wrap them in cellophane paper to pack them in your Picnic basket. They’ll stay firm at room temperature at least for a couple hours.

No Bake Coconut Fudge Bars
(Adapted from Kraft Foods)

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, divided
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs – finely crushed
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 5 oz. can evaporated milk
6 cups miniature marshmallows
12 squares Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded toasted coconut

Method
Line a 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray with cooking spray. Melt 3/4 cup butter and mix with the graham cracker crumbs. Press onto bottom of pan firmly to form the base of the cookie bars.

Melt the remaining butter in a large saucepan. Add the vanilla essence, sugar, evaporated milk and marshmallows to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid it from sticking to the. Add the chocolate pieces, and cook until melted, stirring frequently.

Remove the mixture from the flame and pour evenly over the prepared crust to form a thick layer. Top with walnuts and toasted coconut. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.

Use a serrated knife and run it under warm water, then use it to slice the Coconut Fudge bars.

You can store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. They can be eaten chilled, or you can thaw them a bit to bring them at room temperature before serving.

Suggested Variation:
I made this recipe again after a week, but I layered more ingredients this time, adding chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toasted pecans and another layer of oreo cookie crumb above the graham cracker base. They were delicious, and my whole family loved them. We took it with us to our Summer Picnic at the lake and they were gone in no time!

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