Coconut Cranberry Bars

Here's a festive recipe to add to your holiday baking - Coconut Cranberry Bars. A brown sugar crust and orange in the filling are a yummy combo in these bars. I have a picture of them cooling in the pan, but I forgot to take pics after I had cut them into bars.

Coconut Cranberry Bars

Crust:

1/4 pound butter

1/2 pound brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (I didn't use them because I didn't have any)

Filling:

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup faked coconut

1/2 cup pecans, chopped (again, I didn't have pecans so our bars were nutless)

Crust:

In medium bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and salt. Mix well. Add flour. Blend well. Stir in nuts. Press mixture into bottom of 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 15 to 20 minutes.

Filling:

While crust bakes, combine sugar, flour and baking powder in medium bowl. Mix well. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and orange rind. Blend well. Fold in cranberries, coconut and pecans. Spread mixture over hot baked crust. Return to 350-degree oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into bars.

This recipe is from the Noteworthy Two cookbook (a new recipe collection from the Ravinia Festival)