Dream Bars Recipe Preparation:
First butter up a 9 by 13 inch square baking pan.
Preheat oven to 380 degrees, (DO IT NOW so your oven will be ready when you are.)
An’ make sure your oven racks are IN THE MIDDLE, (Why? Because Apple bar Cookies aren't too good when they turn out doughy on top, an’ burnt on the bottom, that’s why.)
Dream Bars Recipe Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
(Use butter, it tastes much better, you don't always need to worry about counting calories.)
1 -1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 -1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
Orange butter frosting (recipe below)
Dream Bars Recipe Directions:
In a large mixing bowl and electric mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar until creamy. With a fork, blend in 1 cup of the flour until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press mixture firmly over bottom of a greased 9 by 13 inch baking pan, forming an even layer. Bake bottom crust in a 380 degrees oven for 10 minutes; then let crust cool in the pan, on a rack.
Wash and dry your mixer bowl. Place eggs in bowl and beat until light and lemon colored; then gradually beat in remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat in the vanilla, remaining 2 tablespoons flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in coconut and nuts until thoroughly combined.
Pour coconut mixture over baked crust, spreading evenly. Return dream bars to oven and bake for 21 minutes or until topping is golden; then let cool in pan on a rack for 12 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare orange butter frosting, if desired. Cut partially cooled dream bar cookie into bars ( 1 by 2 inches or so), but do not remove from pan. Spread frosting over dream bars and let cool completely in pan on rack. (Don't frost bars before cutting them, because if you do, frosting will crack when the dream bars are cut.) Store dream bars covered with plastic wrap.
This Dream Bars recipe makes about 25 big bars.