Lemony Coconut Bars

Father's Day. I brought the children to visit Marvin at Cedarhurst — the first time all four grandchildren have been in the facility. David prepared them. Jennifer prepared them. I prepared them in my own way, which was: I brought rugelach and told them that Grandpa lives in a place where nice people take care of him and that we bring him food and love and that the food and the love are the same thing. Ethan, nine, understood. Sophie, seven, understood in a different way — she brought Marvin a drawing of the two of them holding hands. Noah, four, brought a truck, because Noah brings a truck everywhere, and the truck is his contribution to every occasion. Hannah, two, brought herself, which is sufficient.

Marvin was calm. He sat in his recliner and the children gathered around him and Sophie held his hand (their ritual, their bond, the six-year-old protector and the seventy-three-year-old man she is protecting) and Ethan showed him the truck Noah brought and explained, at length, the mechanical specifications of the truck, which Marvin listened to with the polite attention of a man who has always been interested in other people's interests even when he doesn't understand them. Noah climbed onto Marvin's lap. Hannah sat on the floor and ate rugelach. It was messy and warm and imperfect and real and the realness was the visit, the realness was the Father's Day, the realness was four grandchildren in a room in Cedarhurst surrounding a man who is their grandfather and who may not fully know this but who is surrounded, and the surrounding is love, and love does not require understanding.

David carved a brisket at home that evening — the first time David has carved a brisket without Marvin present, and the carving was its own kind of passing, the knife going to the son, the tradition transferring, the chain moving one link forward.

I brought rugelach that day because rugelach travels well and because Marvin has always loved them and because sometimes the right thing to bring is something small and sweet that requires no explanation. These Lemony Coconut Bars have become my second answer to the same question — what do you bring when words aren’t enough? They are bright and a little tart and coconut-warm and they cut into neat squares you can hand to a two-year-old sitting on a facility floor, or set on a tray beside a recliner, or pack into a tin to leave behind. They are, like the rugelach, like the truck, like the drawing of two people holding hands, a contribution. They are their own kind of surrounding.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min + cooling | Servings: 24 bars

Ingredients

For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
For the filling:
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2–3 lemons)
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp baking powder

Instructions

Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
Make the crust. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the softened butter and work it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly and holds together when pressed. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan — a flat-bottomed measuring cup helps.
Par-bake the crust. Bake 18–20 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.
Make the filling. While the crust bakes, whisk the eggs and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until smooth and slightly pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until just combined, then fold in the shredded coconut.
Fill and bake. Pour the filling evenly over the hot crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake 20–22 minutes, until the filling is set at the edges and only barely jiggles in the very center when the pan is gently shaken.
Cool completely. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature — at least 1 hour. Do not cut while warm; the filling needs time to firm up. For cleanest cuts, refrigerate 30 minutes before slicing.
Finish and slice. Use the parchment overhang to lift the slab out of the pan. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Cut into 24 bars (6 columns x 4 rows). Dust again just before serving if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Lemony Coconut Bars — The Food We Carry When We Have No Words