Raspberry Coconut Squares

I do my best creating on the fly. You know, when I have people coming over in an hour and I haven't planned anything let alone know if there is even anything in my cupboards. Oh, and the house needed tidying and dinner had to be made still. Or when my husband tells me at 10 o'clock at night that tomorrow is a potluck at work.  Or my favorite, when my husband calls and says that he is bringing over four coworkers, who will be hungry and to whip together some dessert or snacky stuff and I'm still in my pajamas and there is dirt three weeks thick everywhere. Yeah... that kind of fly.

Thankfully that is usually when I rise to the occasion. A skill I have gained from watching my sister in the kitchen. She can make something out of nothing taste like it's off a five star restaurant menu. That girl has mad skills.

Last night was one of those times that I needed to fly... or at least create something on the fly. We had friends coming over in an hour and we had been out shopping all day - with THREE KIDS! Dessert was a must, and I had no idea what to make. That's when I stumbled on this recipe that I had printed off ages ago, and went to work. Of course it wasn't going to work for me the way it was. I didn't have the quick oats required, I'm allergic to dairy, I didn't have time to make the blueberries and well, I'm a sucker for coconut.

Thankfully I did have my trusty all time favorite substitute: coconut oil (yep, I love coconut), a jar of organic raspberry preserves and some regular oats, so I went to work. I had also remembered that last time I made a similar style bar, there was not enough topping, so I tweaked the ratios as well. Yea, I can't leave anything alone.

And yes, the pressure was on too. Right after I popped these in the oven, my husband took the chicken out of the fridge to prepare it for the grill, only to find that our entire package of organic chicken had gone bad. WAY BAD! Yeah for the sausages I happened to throw in the cart even though they weren't on my list. We still had dinner, but I really wanted these bars to turn out to resurrect the whole thing.

And oh did they. They are my new favorite!!! Chewy, soft, crumbly, sweet, slightly tart, coconut amazingness all wrapped up in a nice square. And did I mention that they are refined sugar free, dairy free, and made with whole grains?

Raspberry Coconut Squares
Makes as many as you want out of a 9x13 pan.

3 cups Oats
1 1/2 Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup Unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Sugar (I used 3/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup turbinado)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut cream
3/4 cup-1 cup Raspberry preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan (I used coconut oil). Place oats in a blender or food processor and process till coarsely chopped but not fine as flour. Pour into large bowl and combine with flour, salt, baking soda, sugar and 3/4 cup coconut. Cut in coconut oil and cream until it resembles a fine crumb (feel free to add more coconut cream if needed or desired to get a nice crumb). Press 2/3 of crumb mixture into the pan and press down. Pour preserves over the top and spread evenly (use more preserves if you want a thicker raspberry layer and less if you want to keep it lighter). Then crumble remaining crumb mixture over the top and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of coconut. Bake for approximately 40 minutes and let cool before cutting and serving.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did, am and will. Yes, I am eating one as I type this. I've earned it, I'm working hard.