Coconut Calamansi Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Flour
• 4 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Stick + 2 1/2 Tablespoons Cold Butter
• 3 Cups Freshly Grated Mature Coconut (Niyog)
• 4 Eggs, Beaten
• 2 Cups packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts, Almonds or Pecans

For the Glaze:

• 3 Tablespoons Calamansi Juice
• 1 3/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Calamansi Zest

Procedure:

1. Line a jellyroll pan (around 11 x 15 inches), with double thickness of foil, overlapping in the center and allowing foil to extend over both 15 in sides. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, cut together the flour, sugar, salt and butter until it resembles a course meal. Press evenly into lined pan and bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap the grated coconut in cheese cloth and squeeze to extract coconut cream (gata) and excess moisture. Discard coconut cream or reserve for another use.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs and brown sugar. Stir in the squeezed grated coconut and nuts.  Spread on hot short bread and bake an additional 30 minutes.
4. To make the glaze, combine calamansi juice and powdered sugar until smooth, adding more sugar or juice as needed. Carefully sprinkle calamansi zest (this keeps the glaze from becoming too green). As soon as you take the pan out of the oven, drizzle evenly with the glaze using a brush to distribute. Cool.
5. Run knife along short edge of pan to loosen, and use foil to lift from pan. Cut into desired size bars. If freezing, leave whole until ready to serve, then cut into bars.

- Lifted from Food Magazine, April 2006 edition