No-bake Oatmeal Coconut Bars

This probably won't come as a groundbreaking statement to most of you, but it is hot. With temperatures passing 90 F almost every day, and without the advanced modern technology of... air conditioning, I'm not jumping to turn the oven on. But, my sweet tooth hasn't waned with the rising temperatures, so no-bake recipes have major appeal. And this bar cookie with oatmeal, coconut and chocolate fits the bill perfectly. 

This recipe isn't just no-bake, it's also ridiculously easy. And I made it even simpler by using one bowl and a microwave to get everything done. Well, almost one bowl. There may be another one used to melt chocolate, but you can just lick that one clean and put it back in the cupboard. Just kidding, I would never do that. Really.

Anywho, brown sugar, honey, oatmeal, coconut - all good things in one bar. The coconut gives it a nice chew, the honey a balanced sweetness, the oatmeal structure and the chocolate - gives it chocolate.

I adapted this recipe for the awesome How Sweet It Is - changing it because coconut oil is not readily available here, because I wanted a thinner bar and because I can never really leave well enough alone. The end.


Recipe:
100g (about 1/2 cup) butter or margarine

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups shredded, sweetened coconut

8-10 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate or 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Place the butter, honey, sugar and salt in a microwave-safe bowl and zap together until all melted and mixed. (You could also do this on the stove but then that ruins the one-bowlness and also introduces heat into the apartment! Bad!)
Add the oats and coconut and mix together until everything is moistened and evenly distributed.
Spread the mixture evenly in a greased 9x13" pan until flat.
Melt the chocolate and pour over the oat mixture, spreading until even. Chill in the fridge until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Cut into squares.

*I kept these in the fridge because a) I like cold desserts and b) if I left them out for 10 minutes in my apartment they would be a puddle of melted chocolate. You could even try the freezer.... mmm.