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Recently I made the coconut bars from a previous post and my husband, Dan, thought that they would be greatly improved (which he included might be tough to do), by making a chocolate cookie crust in place of the vanilla one the recipe called for. Not a problem. I have to admit I agreed with him as I do love the chocolate base of the Minty Chocolate Christmas Bars. Instead of using the “from scratch” recipe, I grabbed a cookie bag mix (Double Chocolate Chip Cookies) and used that instead. I baked it for about 12 minutes as it will continue baking with the filling on tip. Yum Yum Yum!

Chocolate and More Chocolate Coconut Bars

Crust:( Use cookie mix bag if desired or here’s the recipe for the base)
1-1/8 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp.  baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips-dark is great
Filling: (Make while crust is baking.)
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips (butterscotch is great too!)

Crust: Combine crust ingredients; press into a 13×9×2-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven and cover with filling.
*If using chocolate cookie mix: Mix ingredients together and pat in a lightly greased 13×9 pan. Bake in a 350* oven for 12 minutes. Cool.

Filling 
Mix together the eggs, 1 cup brown sugar, vanilla, 2 tablespoons flour, and baking powder. Stir in coconut, nuts, and chocolate chips. Spread onto the crust and bake for 20 minutes longer. Knife test to see if done.