These Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Cookie Bars are sweet, coconutty, chewy and are made pretty darn quickly thanks to a tricky secret ingredient that you won't even know is there! 
You guys, did you know it's National Macaroon Day?!
What?!? You don't keep up on obscure food holidays? Hmm, well I'm sharing these Macaroon Cookie Bars in honor of today's not-so-momentous occasion anyway, and I hope you'll indulge me for a bit.
What are Macaroons, Anyway?
Traditional macaroon cookies are made with whipped egg whites, copious amounts of sugar to form a sort of meringue and large flaked coconut. The baked cookies are soft and chewy, sometimes dipped or drizzled in chocolate and a coconut lovers dream.
Coconut Macaroons vs. Macarons- which is which?
Not to be confused with Coconut Macaroons, Macarons are a French sandwich cookie made with an almond flour meringue and a creamy filling. Why they need to have such similar names is a mystery to me.
How to Make Coconut Macaroon Cookie Bars
This recipe is a worthy substitution to traditional macaroon cookies when you don't want to pull out the mixer and need macaroons STAT!
The thing that makes these macaroon cookie bars so easy to make is a top-secret ingredient-- Pillsbury Crescent Rolls. The crescent roll dough bakes between two layers of sweetened condensed milk, pineapple preserves and flaked coconut, giving the bars structure and rich buttery flavor.
I'd dare to say that you wouldn't even know what the middle layer is made out of it you didn't already know. It just blends into the cookie bar so well that it becomes part of the dessert.
Tips for Making Coconut Macaroon Cookie Bars
- Grease your 9"x13" pan very well with cooking spray or butter. Sweetened condensed milk is high in sugar and will stick BADLY to your pan if you do not grease it well.
- If you can't find plain pineapple preserves, apricot pineapple preserve is easy to find and works well in this recipe as well.
- Coconut browns quickly the last few minutes of baking so watch them closely for the last 5 minutes and remove when it's toasted to your liking.
- To make your Macaroon bars look a little prettier, melt ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 5 seconds until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vegetable shortening into the chocolate to thin it a little bit and drizzle over the tops of the bars before cutting.
Tools Needed For Making Coconut Macaroon Cookie Bars
- 9"x13" pan-- I prefer to use glass as I feel they bake more evenly and the treats come out more easily.
- Mini Server Spatula-- I use my mini spatula all the time. It's perfect for serving up treats made in a rectangular pan like this recipe.
Pineapple Coconut Macaroon Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups sweetened, flaked coconut divided
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
- 1 cup pineapple preserves
- 1 tube refrigerated Crescent Rolls 8 ounces
- chocolate for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sprinkle 1 ½ Cups coconut into a well-greased 9"x13" baking pan.
- Combine milk and pineapple preserves; drizzle ½ of the mixture over the coconut.
- Unroll crescent dough into the pan over the milk and coconut.
- Drizzle remaining milk mixture over the crescent dough and top with remaining coconut.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown, watching closely the last 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of the bars, cut and serve. Store remaining bars in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts
National Macaroon Day!
Since it's National Macaroon Day, I've got 15 other decadent macaroon recipes here for you from some of my blogging friends and others that just looked delicious! Hope you enjoy!
Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Tart-- Ashlee Marie
Macaroon Kiss Cookies-- Creations By Kara
Chocolate Coconut Macaroons-- Pretty Providence
Almond Coconut Macaroons-- Savory Experiments
Easy Coconut Macaroons-- Real Mom Kitchen
Gluten-Free Macaroons-- Namely Marley
Lemon Coconut Macaroon Cookies-- Simply Stacie
Pumpkin Spice Coconut Macaroon Cookies-- Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Cherry Coconut Macaroons-- Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Chocolate Covered Raspberry Coconut Macaroons-- Old House to New Home
Double Chocolate Coconut Macaroons-- Lemon Tree Dwelling
3 Ingredient Coconut Macaroons-- My Montana Kitchen
7 Layer Bar Coconut Macaroons-- Layers of Happiness
No-Bake Salted Caramel Coconut Macaroons-- Life Love and Sugar
Stacie says
I'm obsessed with crescent rolls! What a smart idea.
Kara says
Oh my. These look divine, and I bet they would be great with just about any flavor of jam. Can't wait to try them!