Coconut Yuzu Jam Bars & Baking for a Cause

If you follow me on social media, then you know I'm in the midst of bake sale planning.

Every spring, for the past three years I've gotten together with a group of NYC bloggers and bakers for a fun event benefiting No Kid Hungry. Yes, it's simple as hosting a bake sale to make a difference in the fight against childhood hunger in America. You don't have to be a blogger to bake for this cause - anyone can host a bake sale for No Kid Hungry.

Baking for good has always been close to my heart - ever since I started this blog and found out the many ways I could support important causes simply by doing what I love.

As for the NYC Bake Sale coming up on May 3rd, I'm thinking of contributing these coconut yuzu jam bars. Since we don't have yuzu fruit here in New York, and I didn't want to shell out $20 for a bottle of yuzu juice concentrate, I bought the next best thing - a jar of yuzu marmalde.  This yuzu-cha is actually supposed to be served as a hot beverage like tea (simply mix it with hot water). Hence, the word, "cha" which means "tea" in most Asian languages. However, I was just itching to use this marmalade/jam in something baked.

I remember pinning these coconut apricot bars recently and knew I just had to make them. For some reason, I had an abundance of sweetened coconut flakes in my pantry so these were the perfect thing to bake. In place of the apricot jam, I used the yuzu jam and left out the dried apricots. The result is a slightly gooey center from the jam - and a crispy cookie-like crust and coconut topping. It was almost like eating coconut macaroons in bar form, but with the brightness of the yuzu - just perfect for spring.

Coconut Yuzu Jam Bars

These bars would be lovely with all types of jam or maybe even a citrus curd.

I have listed the ingredients below - my adaptations/substitutions are noted with an asterisk. However, since I did not change the method, I have linked to the original recipe. 

Yield: 16 bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

120g unsalted butter, melted

120g granulated sugar

50g sweetened flaked coconut

150g all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lemon*

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the topping:

150g sweetened flaked coconut

50g granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon almond extract*

3 tablespoons yuzu jam/marmalade*

For the rest of the recipe, visit Technicolor Kitchen