Recipes for Health: Sesame Coconut Bars

[herbsandhelpers]

Sesame Coconut Bars

These heavenly bars are inspired by a much heavier sweet that I used to make at the dawn of my cooking: Sesame Dream Bars, from “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappé. Coarsely grind the sesame seeds by pulsing them a few times in a food processor. Do not overprocess or you’ll get butter; some whole seeds are fine.

Ingredients

For the cookie base:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) raw brown sugar or organic sugar

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour, sifted

For the sesame-coconut layer:

1 ounce (1/4 cup) whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup mild honey, like clover

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup, firmly packed) unsweetened shredded coconut

1 to 2 ounces (1/4 to 1/2 cup) sesame seeds, coarsely ground

Method

1. Make the cookie base. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.

2. Cream the butter with the salt and sugar. Add the sifted flour and blend together. Using your hands, press out the dough over the bottom of the parchment-lined pan in an even layer. Using a fork, make holes all over the surface of the dough (this is called docking). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Bake the cookie base for 20 minutes, until it is just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 5 minutes before topping.

4. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer or whisk until light and thick. Add the honey and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the flour and baking powder and beat to blend. Add the coconut and sesame seeds and stir together. Spread in an even layer over the cookie base, scraping out every last bit with a rubber spatula. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes, until the surface is just beginning to color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Yield: 18 to 20 squares

Advance preparation: This will keep for 3 or 4 days in a covered container.

Nutritional information per serving: 173 calories; 5 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 34 milligrams cholesterol; 24 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 56 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein.

Recipe by Martha Rose Shulman