Coconut and Caramel Bars

This recipe comes from recipezaar and the chef is Bev from Along the Potomac. This is ooey gooey yummy!

Coconut and Caramel Bars
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups shredded coconut, toasted and divided
30 caramel candies, unwrapped
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 TBSP milk or cream

Toast coconut. Spread coconut in a 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir half way through baking time.
Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until well blended. Mix in flour, salt baking powder and 1 1/2 cups toasted coconut.
Spread mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Meanwhile melt 1/2 of the caramel in microwave. Drizzle melted caramel over baked crust and return to oven for 10-12 minutes or until medium brown and caramel is bubbly.
Remove crust from oven. Working quickly - loosen edges of the crust from the pan. Cut into bars while they are still warm.
Sprinkle bars with chocolate chips. Allow chocolate chips to soften about 5 minutes then spread evenly over bars. Set aside to cool completely.
Loosen the bars from the edge of the pan again and carefully remove. I placed mine on a cookie sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup.
Combine remaining caramel with 1 TBSP milk or cream and heat until caramel is melted. Stir to combine with the milk. Drizzle over bars. Garnish with reserved coconut.