These Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust have the classic salty lime margarita flavors with the extra tart tanginess of hibiscus tea. A shot of tequila mellows the tartness, creating a lusciously creamy hibiscus margarita filling atop a textural & chewy coconut shortbread crust.
Yes, hibiscus is an edible flower!
Tart, tangy and sweet with a fruity and floral flourish. Hibiscus is a layered flavor that lends itself well to baking. If you've never tried hibiscus, consider this Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust recipe your official introduction. I think you'll be fast friends.
Hibiscus is an edible flower that is often used in teas and sometimes candied and dried. See my Glazed Hibiscus Shortbread Cookies to see both versions of edible hibiscus in action! In this recipe for Hibiscus Margarita Bars, we simple use hibiscus tea.
Hibiscus tea flavors both the crust and filling of these Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust
These tropical dessert bars incorporate hibiscus tea to flavor both the shortbread crust and the tart and smooth filling. The hibiscus tea is finely chopped or ground and mixed right into the dry ingredients of the coconut shortbread crust. It adds a floral, herby note to the sweet and buttery base. The hibiscus tea is also steeped strong and blended into the lime infused filling, imbuing it with fresh fruity flavor and a soft pink hue.
These Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust feature all of the festive margarita flavors - lots of lime, tequila and salt
! But I took it one tangy and refreshing step further by bringing in a splash of tart hibiscus tea
, which not only tastes delightful but also gives the bars a pretty pink hue.
50% crumbly cookie base, 50% hibiscus margarita flavored filling heaven
The easy, press-in shortbread cookie base features finely shredded coconut
giving it a chewy texture and naturally sweet flavor. A simple addition of dried hibiscus tea
to the coconut shortbread cookie dough adds a bright and earthy component to the sweet coconut shortbread layer. This simple, crumbly press-in cookie crust also features a welcome saltiness that highlights the buttery base and zippy filling.
The silky smooth lime hibiscus filling is an elegant custard enhanced with the loads of lime, a hint of hibiscus and a punch of tequila! The rich filling layer bakes atop the par-baked coconut shortbread crust until the filling sets and has just enough jiggle when it gets a wiggle.
Once baked, the Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust are basically 50% crumbly coconut cookie base and 50% luxuriously creamy, hibiscus margarita flavored heaven with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. The levels are just right in these elegant and tropical margarita cookie bars.
These Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust are easy to make but if you really want to snazz them up, it's fun to get creative with the topping. My sweet husband hand cut a cute scalloped template from a piece of cardboard. Then he held it halfway over each bar as I sprinkled on downy soft, powdered sugar.
Creating the adorable scalloped adornment on top. Also, it helps distract from all of the little imperfections, which is always great!
If the scallop isn't your vibe, there are lots of other options. You could keep it simple and sprinkle powdered sugar
over the top completely. Alternatively, give the Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust a slash of shredded coconut
across half like I do on my Grapefruit Coconut Bars. Take inspiration from the season, add color or create any graphic shapes you can dream up.
I highly recommend these Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust for a celebration, like Cinco de Mayo. However, these zesty sweet bars are fabulous for any occasion. While no occasion is necessary, these festive bars really do bring the party with that scalloped edge detail!
If you're looking to pair these Hibiscus Margarita Bars with a meal, find loads of recipe inspiration on my friend Kate's site holajalapeno.com. This recipe may just inspired you to start researching vacation destinations on my friend Aida's travel site saltandwind.com.
PrintRecipe
Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars
Description
These Hibiscus Margarita Bars with Coconut Crust have the classic salty lime margarita flavors with an extra tart tanginess from hibiscus tea, mellowed with a couple shots of tequila in the lusciously creamy hibiscus margarita filling atop a textural & chewy coconut shortbread crust.
Ingredients
COCONUT SHORTBREAD CRUST
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried hibiscus tea, finely chopped or ground
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
HIBSICUS MARGARITA FILLING
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (10-12 small limes, squeezed)
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 2 tablespoons hibiscus tea (loose leaf or removed from tea sachet)
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes or sea salt
Instructions
COCONUT SHORTBREAD CRUST
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper or grease the pan with melted butter of cooking spray.
- Whisk the flour, shredded coconut, dried hibiscus tea and salt together in a bowl.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times. Add the vanilla and mix until just incorporated.
- Reduce the mixer to a low speed and add the dry ingredients. Mix util the dry ingredients are just incorporated, it will come together quickly. You don't want to over-mix, the dough should be crumbly so it's easier to press into the pan.
- Pour the crumbly dough into the prepared pan and evenly distribute over the bottom. Lightly press the dough into the pan until even and smooth. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough evenly into the pan. Then bake for 25-ish minutes, until the crust is golden and toasty.
HIBISCUS MARGARITA FILLING
- While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. Start by brewing the hibiscus tea bags with ½ cup, boiling water. Allow to steep for a few minutes, then remove the tea bags, squeeze out the tea and allow to cool.
- Lightly beat the eggs. Then whisk in the sugar and flour until smooth. Add the lime juice, zest, milk, 6 tablespoons of cooled hibiscus tea, tequila and sea salt flakes and whisk together until blended.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 325°F. Whisk the filling once more just before carefully pouring it over the warm crust.
- Bake for 25-30-ish minutes until the filling feels firm when lightly touched. It should be barely jiggly when you shake it but not runny.
- Allow to cool at least 45 minutes - 1 hour at room temperature. Slice into a grid 6 x 4 grid for 24 squares and carefully transfer from the pan to a cooling rack or baking sheet.
- To create the straight edge design with the powdered sugar, fashion a fancy decorative edge with cardboard or keep it simple and use a bench knife or something with a straight edge. Then hold it just above one bar at a time, at an angle from corner to corner, while sprinkling powdered sugar over the exposed side of the bars. Repeat with each bar. Just like a margarita, serve salted or unsalted up on request. 😉
Notes
*This recipe makes 24 bars in a 9" x 13" pan.
*Don't sprinkle the powdered sugar on until just be serving the bars. After a while it will steep into the surface and you want those babies to pop when you serve em up!
*Use parchment paper to line the pan to keep the bars from sticking and for easy removal from the pan.
*You must allow the bars to cool completely before cutting to achieve sharp, square edges.
*You can swap in any citrus juice for the limes, grapefruit would also be amazing with this combo.
*Store the bars covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Bars
Comments
No Comments