Seven Layer Bars

In my household, the colder the weather, the more frequently baked goods tend to come out of my kitchen. For a recent gathering, I whipped up these seven layer bars in addition to a host of pumpkin treats. In fact, I specifically made these so that the non-pumpkin fans in the group (blasphemy) would have something to snack on.

There are many different recipes out there for seven layer bars, and mine is probably a little different than most of the ones you’ll see. I’ve actually done the more “classic” seven layer bar in the past and specifically wanted to try something different this time around. I think the chocolate and gingerbread crust gives these bars more of a holiday/wintertime feel. If you really want to make things interesting, you could substitute the butterscotch chips with cinnamon chips. Or, use both and call them eight layer bars.

Although these bars are quite tasty, they’re also really, really sweet. I can only eat a small piece at a time, which is saying a lot. But if you’re looking for a fun, easy recipe to try, go ahead and give this one a shot.

Seven Layer Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup gingerbread cookie crumbs
1 stick of butter, melted
1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk, divided
1 cup chopped walnuts nuts
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened coconut, toasted

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with the chocolate graham cracker and gingerbread cookie crumbs. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan.
Pour 1/3 cup of condensed milk over the crumb mixture, using a spatula to spread it evenly.
Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top of the soaked crumb mixture. Then, add the butterscotch, semisweet, and white chocolate chips in layers one at a time.
Spread the toasted coconut on top of the chocolate chips.
Pour the remaining condensed milk over the entire mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned.
Cool the bars in the pan completely (at least two hours) before slicing and serving.

Nov 13

Coconut-Filled Brownies

There’s just something about warm, fudgy brownies that helps me feel far less bitter when the pretty fall leaves begin to disappear and the weather suddenly turns markedly colder. Since I have a tendency to jazz up my brownies, I decided to take one of my basic recipes and add a chewy coconut layer.

These brownies are rich and super-sweet – so much so that even I, the self-proclaimed world’s biggest sweet tooth, could only eat one at a time. In fact, they kind of tasted like a Mounds candy bar in brownie form. If you’re a fan of coconut and love brownies, give this quick, easy recipe a try.

Coconut-Filled Brownies

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used dark; light will also work)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (feel free to substitute with semisweet chips or omit)
1 and 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until well-combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour half of the batter into your prepared pan.
In a separate bowl, mix the coconut and condensed milk until thoroughly combined.
Pour the coconut mixture over the brownie layer in the pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Then, pour the remaining half of the brownie batter on top of the coconut layer, once again using a spatula as needed to smooth.
Bake for about 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least an hour before slicing and serving.

Nov 11

Coconut M&M Blondies

Looking for an easy, kid-friendly treat? Try these blondies. They’re so simple, but so amazingly good. This recipe takes virtually no time to throw together, and you don’t need any fancy tools or anything like that. The hardest part for me was resisting the urge to nibble on M&Ms as I added them to my batter.

Coconut M&M Blondies

Recipe from RecipeGirl

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup M&Ms
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8-inch pan with nonstick spray and then line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugars.
Stir in the egg, vanilla, and salt.
Stir in flour, coconut, M&Ms, and chocolate chips until well-combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle a few additional M&Ms on top if desired.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the blondies cool completely in the pan before turning them out onto a cutting board and cutting into squares.