Coconut Creme Bars recipe – 148 calories
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 5/8 ounces French vanilla pudding mix
1 (18 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 teaspoons milk
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 13×9 inch pan.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the pudding mix and 1 3/4 cups milk.
4. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from the heat; cool while preparing the base.
6. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, half-and-half, 1/2 cup margarine and almond extract at low speed until moistened.
7. Reserve 1 cup mixture for the topping; spread the remaining mixture in the prepared pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 8 minutes.
9. Spoon and spread the pudding gently over the base.
10. Add the coconut to the 1 cup reserve mixture; spoon teaspoonfuls evenly over the pudding.
11. Sprinkle with almonds. Return to the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes (or until it turns golden brown and the coconut mixture is firm to touch).
12. In a small bowl, combine all the glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for the desired glaze consistency; blend until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm bars.
13. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Servings: 36 bars
Nutritional information for one serving:
Calories: 148
Calories from fat: 70
Total fat: 7.8g
Cholesterol: 3mg
Total carbs: 18.6g
Protein: 1.6g
Photo credit: Chris
