Coconut Jammy Squares

I had one of these in a cafe and it was delicious, so have been experimenting and here is my favourite recipe to make at home.  These are great for cooking for school when they need a contribution from parents for a fund raiser. The base is almost a biscuit and it's an easy two stage bake. This recipe is from the "Bake Play Smile" blog which is well worth a visit.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

125g butter, chilled and chopped into cubes

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

¾ cup jam (red looks pretty)

2 cups desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c

2. Grease and line a rectangular slice tray (18cm X 28cm) with baking paper – I use a silicone tray and just lightly grease it

3. Mix the plain flour, ½ cup of caster sugar and the chilled butter  until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs – stand mixer or food processor both work fine for this

4. Add 1 egg and the vanilla essence

5. Process until the mixture has formed into a dough – I usually end up adding a little water to help it bind together

6. Press dough firmly into the base of the prepared pan – Tip – use a glass or child rolling pin to help get it even in the tin

7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden

8. Spread jam over warm base – keep back from the edge a little or it dribbles down the side

9. Mix the remaining eggs and sugar together

10. Stir in the coconut and spread over the jam – I go for the spoon and squash method – you can’t spread it as it just picks up the jam

11. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden

12. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into slices