Chinese Chews Recipe with Coconut: Updating a Classic

Sneak Peek: This Chinese Chews Recipe with Coconut combines a shortbread base with a coconut-pecan pie type of experience. Ingredients include flour, brown sugar, butter, coconut, eggs, and pecans.

Chinese Chews in paper linersPin

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When approaching a pan of baked bar cookies such as these Coconut-Pecan Bars, more commonly known as Chinese Chews, do you question how you’ll get the first piece out without butchering it?

I’ve got the answer. It’s not complicated. But you must remember to do it BEFORE you put the cookies in the pan.

Three Reasons Why You Will Make These on Repeat

  1. Two-layer cookies are the best–especially when one of the layers includes coconut.
  2. Making bar cookies is easier than drop cookies.
  3. Make frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  4. Have fun cutting them into squares, rectangles, or diamonds–especially nice for cookie trays or boxes.

Happy Bakers Speak Up

“I’ve made these the last 2 years and everyone loves them!”–JESSICA

Recipe Inspiration

Helen Corbitt first introduced me to a form of these cookies in her recipe, “Chinese Chews,” published in her “Cooks for Company”(paid link) cookbook. Then, when I worked at the Greenhouse (a luxury health spa from years ago), where we used her cookbooks a lot, everybody went crazy for them. It sounds crazy, but some ladies actually came there to gain weight and often requested these cookies.


Ingredients and Substitutions

  • FLOUR: All-purpose flour is always my first choice.
  • BROWN SUGAR: There are lots of substitutes for brown sugar. I would try coconut sugar in this recipe. You may need to add more butter to compensate for the moisture difference.
  • SALT: I used table salt, but sea or Kosher salt is also acceptable.
  • BUTTER: You could substitute margarine, but butter is an important part of the flavor in this recipe. I don’t recommend it.
  • EGGS: I always use large eggs.
  • COCONUT: You can leave this out if you’re not a coconut lover. The cookies won’t be nearly as chewy.
  • PECANS: Use walnuts if you prefer. Even almonds would work. No matter what nuts you use, they’re always better if you toast them first. You can toast nuts easily in your microwave.
  • CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR, aka powdered sugar or icing sugar: You don’t have to sprinkle powdered sugar on top or make the icing if you don’t have this sugar. You could also use a blender to make confectioner’s sugar if needed.
ingredients needed for chewy coconut pecan BarsPin

How To Prepare a Pan for Baking Bar Cookies

You don’t have to use non-stick foil to make these cookies, but I highly recommend it. Without it, they will taste wonderful, but you will enjoy the cutting, serving, and clean-up process oh so much more.

nonstick aluminum foilPin

If you dread washing those sticky, gooey, and hard-to-scrape pans, this magic foil is a lazy dishwasher’s saving grace. It also makes removing the entire uncut batch from the pan crazy easy.

how to easily cover pan with foil for easy removal of cookies and clean-upPin
1. Turn the pan upside down and fold the non-stick foil over it with the dull side down.
2. Remove the foil carefully and place it inside the pan so the dull side faces up.
3. Press the foil into the corners and sides to conform to the pan shape.

After cooling the cookies, carefully lift the cookies out of the pan using the foil as handles. Then, peel the foil away from the cookies. Without the confines of the pan, even the first cookie you cut can be perfect.

I use this technique for bar cookies such as Peanut Butter Bars and Microwave Brownies. For a few extra pennies, it’s worth it.


More Uses for Non-stick Aluminum Foil

If you think you can use regular foil sprayed with vegetable oil, well, yes, you could. But it doesn’t work as well, according to Cooks Illustrated.

Hide this foil so the rest of the family doesn’t use it or waste it, thinking it’s just like any other foil in the drawer. It’s pricey compared to regular aluminum foil.

Steps To Assembling Chinese Chews

  1. Cover the pan with foil as described above.
  2. Combine the crust ingredients, pat into the pan, and bake.
  3. Mix the coconut-pecan layer ingredients together, pour over the crust, and bake again.
  4. Prepare the browned butter for the frosting, and add it to the remaining ingredients. Frost and serve.

How To Serve These Cookies

Serve these cookies plain, with powdered sugar, or dress them up with a browned butter glaze you can make in a microwave.

Cut them into diamonds for a party or squares for the family.

Questions About Chinese Chews

How are these different from Magic Cookie Bars?

These cookies do not contain chocolate, condensed milk, or graham crackers.

How should I store these cookies?

Because they contain eggs, they should be refrigerated.

Do these cookies freeze well?

Yes, but be sure to double-wrap them to avoid freezer burn.


Parting Thoughts: My Easy Toffee Bars and Meyer Lemon Yogurt Squares use the same shortbread base. To all of you coconut lovers: Don’t miss this Quick Coconut Cake when you need a cake at the last minute but want it to be memorably delicious. The pecan-coconut layer is adapted from the “Chinese Chews” printed in Helen Corbitt’s Cooks for Company.


Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

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CHEWY COCONUT-PECAN BARS in paper holdersPin
Yield: 16 squares

Heavenly Chinese Chews Recipe with Coconut

If a pecan pie married a shortbread cookie, their offspring might look like these rich and chewy bars with coconut added for chewiness and fabulous flavor.

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(5 stars if you loved it)

5 from 3 votes
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Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
 

Shortbread Crust

  • 1 cup (120 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (53 g) brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon table or sea salt
  • ¼ cup (57 g) melted butter

Coconut-Pecan Layer

  • 2 large (100 g) eggs
  • cup (147 g) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (43 g) shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (57 g) lightly toasted and chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Browned Butter Icing (optional)

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon half and half or milk
  • 1 cup (114 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C)

Shortbread Crust:

  • Prepare an 8×8-inch square pan by lining with foil (see the picture in post), parchment paper, or spray with oil/butter mixture such as Baker’s Joy.
  • Combine 1 cup (120 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup (53 g) brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) table or sea salt into a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup (57 g) melted butter and lightly mix with a fork. Press evenly into the prepared pan.
  • Bake at 350˚F (180˚C)for 12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

Coconut-Pecan Layer:

  • In a medium bowl, beat 2 large (100 g) eggs until foamy. Add 2/3 cup (147 g) brown sugar to the eggs and beat until thick.
  • Stir 1/2 cup (43 g) shredded coconut and 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour together. Combine with the brown sugar and eggs.
  • Add 1/2 cup (57 g) lightly toasted and chopped pecans, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt. Spread over the baked shortbread layer.
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 350˚F (180˚C).
  • When cool, turn the entire baked cookie out onto a flat surface and peel off paper or foil if using. Flip over and sprinkle with powdered sugar or ice with Browned Butter Glaze. Cut in squares or diamonds as you prefer.

Browned Butter Icing (optional)

  • Heat 1 tablespoon butter on low in a skillet on the stove until it barely turns brown. Add 1 tablespoon half and half or milk and combine. Add 1 cup (114 g) powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if using. If icing is too thick, add more milk. If too thin, add more sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

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Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. Richard Kough says:

    These are not “aka Chinese Chews”. The primary sweetening ingredient in Chinese Chews besides sugar is dates. And the original recipe published in Good Housekeeping, June 1917, has no coconut nor vanilla. A fun twist on the original recipe is to roll the Chinese Chews balls in flaked coconut instead of sugar. But that is a departure from the original.

    I do think your recipe sounds wonderful and may have to give it a go.

    Here is the original Chinese Chews recipe (abbreviated):
    1 cup sugar
    3/4 cup flour (“pastry” flour in original… all purpose works fine)
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 eggs
    1 cup dates, chopped
    1 cup English (or black) walnuts chopped
    granulated sugar

    Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs and combine all except “granulated sugar” which you will use to roll the balls in at the end. Spread thin on baking sheet (I like to put down parchment paper to make it easy to remove). Bake until very lightly browned (15-20 min.) and then only cool long enough to handle to roll into balls. Might still look “doughy”. Cut into 1 inch squares. Roll squares into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. That’s it, easy peasy. Thanks!

    1. Hi Richard,

      I’ll take your word for it. I was first introduced to these cookies by Helen Corbitt in her cookbook entitled Helen Corbitt Cooks for Company, published in 1974. She called them Chinese Chews so that’s what I called them for years. Isn’t that the way it goes with recipes? We like them, but tweak them to our personal and familial preferences. Just because we add an ingredient or leave something out, we usually don’t change the name, right? Then our family wouldn’t know what we were talking about. Recipes change and morph with time.

      Thanks for taking the time to add the recipe from Good Housekeeping. Interesting.

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve made these the last 2 years and everyone loves them!

  3. Did you use unsweetened or sweetened coconut?

  4. Just mouthwatering…looks delicious!

  5. Just made these and they are oh so yummy! My glaze didn’t look as smooth as yours but I sure did like the tip on the non stick foil.

    1. Thanks Scooter! About the smooth glaze, maybe you just didn’t beat it quite enough to get all the lumps out. Sometimes a little more butter helps–I’m just always trying to keep the butter to the minimum it takes to get good results.

  6. This is brilliant! I especially like how you molded it to the pan on the outside first. And I liove me some coconut and pecans! Pinned!

  7. I guess I’m not paying attention while shopping because I haven’t seen this non-stick foil yet. Will now be on the lookout for it. I love pecans and these bars with your shortbread crust have made it to the top of my “must bake” list 🙂

  8. I LOVE non-stick foil and use it for everything, even if something I’m making probably won’t stick. And yum to these bars!

  9. Well, dang! I’ve got that on my grocery list! And this recipe on my to do list! It sounds just up our alley in what the family likes. Yogurt is in the micro as we speak. Since I try to utilize components that we have around all the time I use plain ol grocery milk and it does take closer to 18 hours then 8 but it works great which is the thing! Thank you for all your recipes!!! I’m a faithful lurker!