COCONUT CREAM PIE BARS

Occasionally someone considering adopting a turtle will ask me if Squirt, my red-eared slider, is difficult to care for. Now listen. I love that turtle so much it hurts. I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He has the biggest personality and brings me tons of joy.

AND HE IS A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TROUBLE. So whenever someone asks me that question, I have to pause, take a deep breath, and begin at the beginning…

Squirt was a rescue turtle, and I don’t feel it’s ethical to adopt turtles any other way — those cute quarter turtles you see for sale are often mistreated and sold illegally. Since they’re marketed to impulse buyers who don’t know how to care for them, they often live short lives in tiny enclosures. It’s just cruel, y’all. Don’t buy turtles.

But Squirt was a rescue. Someone who hadn’t done a lick of research (it’s ironic that I’m being judgy about that; you’ll see why) adopted him and then, upon realizing he might carry salmonella, was going to abandon him in a lake where he wasn’t native and would have summarily killed everything or been killed.

My friend intervened and fostered him. She knew I couldn’t have furry pets in my apartment, so she suggested I adopt him. “They’re so easy,” she assured me. “He needs hardly anything.” I did no research. I trusted her completely, got a big ol’ tupperware for his first tank, and brought him home.

Ingredients

• Crust Ingredients:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Coconut Cream Filling Ingredients:
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped Cream Topping Ingredients:
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon cold water (for stabilizing)
• 1 teaspoon gelatin (for stabilizing)
• 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 cup coconut, for toasting

Instructions

1. Make shortbread crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9 x 13 in. baking dish with a foil sling (I use one long sheet across the length of my dish, and two overlapping short sheets across the width of my dish — just arrange it so that it has some overlap and overhang to help you pull the bars out after they’re finished). Cut the butter into the flour and powdered sugar and press into the baking dish (I used a food processor to cut the fat into the flour — about 6-10 pulses — and then the bottom of a glass to press the mixture into the pan). Bake 18-20 minutes or until light brown. Set on a wire rack.
2. Toast coconut for the topping: Spread about 1 cup of the coconut flakes out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven along with your shortbread crust for 3-6 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the coconut is golden brown. Spread it out on a plate to cool completely.
3. ......................................

for full recipes please see : willowbirdbaking.com

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