Coconut Chocolate Caramel Candy Chunks

Now thats a very good title,right?The candy is also as much tasty.I wanted to make good use of my caramel sauce and was digging for a recipe and came across this in a flour website.Also I wanted a change from the appetizer recipes that I was posting :D. I have not added coconut in any sweet baked dishes and wanted to try out how this will turn out.The recipe had a single egg which I replaced with flax seed and without any other adjustments I created this tasty candy chunks.You can also call them brownies/bars/ squares,but looking at the ingredients -almost all starting with 'C' and the way I cut them, I thought chunks would be better.The recipe actually called them candy bars.

Ingredients:

Crust:
All purpose flour: 1& 1/4 cup
Toasted Sweet Coconut: 1 &1/2 cups
Brown Sugar: 1& 1/2 cup
Unsalted Butter: 1 stick softened
Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp
Vanila extract: 2 tsp
Flax seed: 1 tbsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Topping:

Chocolate chips: 2-3 handfuls +more as per taste
Toasted Sweet Coconut flakes: 1/2 cup or handfuls

CaramelSauce or 1/2 cup or more caramel candies melted in the microwave.

Preparation:

You can use store bought sweetened toasted coconut flakes or microwave the coconut flakes mixed with sugar and spread on a microwaveable plate,starting with 30 seconds till they are lightly browned.This can also be done stove top.Also I wanted a white contrast to the brown candy,so the coconut for the topping was only lightly toasted-just till dry.Grind to a creamy paste,1 tbsp flaxseed with 3 tbsp of water.This is to replace the single egg.In a bowl mix together flour,toasted sweet coconut,baking powder and salt.

In a big bowl,cream together softened butter,brown sugar,vanilla and creamy flax seed paste.Then blend in batches the flour-coconut mixture until combined.Pour the crumbly dough into a lightly greased baking dish-here it would be better if you could use a 11x11'' square baking dish.I used a 9" diameter pie pan as I wanted the dish in chunks .With the former,the crust will be bit thinner.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30-32 minutes.Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.Within seconds the chips will start melting.With the back of a spoon,spread it evenly atop the bar.Top this with half of the remaining coconut.

If you are using caramel candies,melt them in the microwave,until it becomes pourable.I used caramel sauce that I had made earlier and simply warmed it in the microwave.Drizzle the caramel evenly on top of the dish.Top this with remaining coconut.

Loosen the edges with a knife if needed and cool completely and cut into bars while serving.

The pictures were taken in a hurry and may not be appealing to all eyes.But chunks/bars were very delicious.Coconut added a crunch to it and it was cakey inside and not hard to bite.You can even add white chocolate instead of dark ones.

A warm plate of heavenly chunks goes to
Aparna's Sweet Bites
Mansi's Vegetarian Thanksgiving Event as a dessert
Madhuram's Egg Replacement Event:Flax seed
Kim's Nourishing Holiday Food Carnival as a dessert

Gorging on this heavenly dessert on Recipe Marathon Day #12,lets see what others have put forth:
1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Medha 7)Priya 8)Bhawna 9)Raaji 10)Ruchii 11)Anu 12)Kamala 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)LakshmiVenkatesh 20) Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Kamalika 23)Pavani

Enjoy the chunks,because from tomorrow,from here you will be getting only dips and soups till I get exhausted cooking them. :D