Gooey Lemon Bars (with Cake Mix!)
A couple weeks ago, I made Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars and they were so darn good. And so easy. So I adapted that recipe and spun it into these lemony beauties. They’re like lemon bars on steroids. If you like lemon bars, you’re going to love these. It’s an easy, 6-ingredient recipe that will be a hit with lemon and white chocolate lovers. While you can taste the coconut, it’s not overwhelming, but if you’re truly not a coconut fan you could likely omit it and shorten the baking time by about 5 minutes, but I’m just guessing because I haven’t personally tried. The lemon base is soft and chewy, there’s coconut and white chocolate chips for extra texture, and sweetened condensed milk keeps them juicy and moist.
What’s in Lemon Coconut Bars?
To make these gooey lemon bars with cake mix, you’ll need:
Boxed lemon cake mix Unsalted butter Egg Sweetened shredded coconut White chocolate chips Sweetened condensed milk
How to Make Lemon Coconut Bars
The bars start off with a box of lemon cake mix. If you don’t use cake mix or don’t have cake mix in your area, this may not be the recipe for you. Don’t follow the directions on the box because you’re not making cake – you’re making gooey bars — so follow my directions below. Beat the butter until creamy, then mix in the cake mix and egg. Press about half of the mixture into the bottom of a foil-lined 9×9-inch pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and coconut, then drizzle with about 8 oz. of sweetened condensed milk. Add the rest of the dough on top in 1-inch chunks. Bake until done, then let cool before slicing.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, just double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch baking dish. The bake time should be roughly the same.
Tips for Making Ooey Gooey Lemon Bars
You should add the cake mix to the mixing bowl like a dry ingredient. Do NOT make the cake mix like it instructs on the side of the box. Because the bars will be loose and gooey as you take them out of the oven, make sure to allow them to cool for a few hours (overnight if you can plan ahead) if you want nice clean squares because they’re incredibly gooey right out of the oven. If you don’t care about presentation, then dive right in as soon as the heavenly scent of lemon, coconut, and white chocolate is too much to resist.
More Lemon Dessert Recipes:
Lemon Lemonies – Like brownies, but made with lemon and white chocolate! Dense, chewy, not cakey and packed with big, bold lemon flavor! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
The Best Lemon Bars – Truly the best classic lemon bars I’ve ever had!
The Best Lemon Loaf (Better-Than-Starbucks Copycat) – Took years but I finally recreated it! Easy, no mixer, no cake mix, dangerously good!!
Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze – An easy little cake with big lemon flavor!! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!
Glazed Lemon Pie Bars – Buttery soft crust with luscious lemon filling and a lemon glaze boosts the bold lemon flavor even more! If you like lemon pie, you’ll love these easy bars that are so much easier than making pie!
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, fluffy, moist, very lemony cupcakes from scratch! Easy one-bowl, no-mixer recipe for cupcakes that taste like they’re from a bakery!
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies – Big, bold lemon flavor packed into super soft cookies thanks to the cream cheese! Tangy-sweet perfection! Lemon lovers are going to adore these easy cookies!
Soft and Chewy Lemon Cookies – Packed with big, bold lemon flavor for all you lemon lovers! They’re soft, chewy and not at all cakey!
