Caramel-Coconut Slices

Shortbread:

-4 cups flour

-1 cup sugar

-2 tsp. salt

-2 ½ cups unsalted butter

-1 cup toasted, sweetened coconut

-Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and coconut. Whisk until combined. Add the butter in small pieces and massage the butter into the flour with your fingers until you have what looks like cornmeal, with no obvious butter chunks. The dough should start holding together when you pinch it. Press mixture into a 9x13 inch pan with sides that are halfway up the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the shortbread just starts to brown.

Caramel:

-1 ½ cups sugar

-1/3 cup coconut water (or plain water)

-1 cup heavy cream

-1/2 cup unsalted butter

-1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

-1 tsp. salt

-1 cup toasted, sweetened coconut

-Bittersweet chocolate, for drizzling

-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and coconut water, making sure that the sugar is evenly dampened by the water, and cook, swirling the pan occasionally to avoid clumping, until the sugar has melted completely.

-Wash down the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush to remove any rogue crystals, attach a candy thermometer, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook to 235 degrees.

-Remove the pan from the heat, carefully pour in the cream, and quickly step back. The caramel can bubble like an angry volcano. Once the bubbling has subsided, return the caramel to the heat and stir until any bits of hardened caramel have dissolved. Return the caramel to a vigorous boil-it should reach about 218 degrees on the candy thermometer.

-Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla paste, coconut, and salt.

-Immediately pour the caramel evenly over the shortbread crust.

-Bake for 20 minutes, until the filling is uniformly bubbling.

-Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve.

-Melt some bittersweet chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between sessions. Drizzle over caramel once pan is removed from oven. Sprinkle on extra coconut if desired.