Magic Gooey Cookie Bars

I’m a little bit embarrassed to post this recipe, but screw it.

Maybe I’m a teeny bit snobby when it comes to desserts (something I don’t work at being, but when you learn the merits of baking things from scratch… it happens?). I was raised on (glorious) birthday cakes that my Mom taught me how to make from an early age. Her inspirations were Betty Crocker & Duncan Hines- so clearly I wasn’t brought up to be a sweets snob. As much as I think the right thing to do these days is to bake a cake with an old-school recipe from a grandmother, let’s be honest- Betty & Duncan have their s*@t together. [Have you ever tried Duncan Hines’ Lemon Pound Cake? With their equally synthetic pudding powder added to the mix? Bake it into a bundt pan, pour a glaze of lemon juice and icing sugar mixed together over the top and down the sides, and tell me it’s not fantastic. Really- I want to know what you think.]

Anyhoo, back to the issue at hand:
1. everyone loves these Magic Gooey Cookie Bars, and
2. they are uber-easy to make.

Sold.

(Who am I kidding- clearly I am comfortable being a “baking commoner”… have you seen the Cracker Choco-Toffee Brittle recipe post?)

(Oh, and yes, the picture attached is technically from the same batch that a wayward cat had his way with, as described in this post. So sad to throw out a perfectly {furry} good dessert. And as much as I encourage creativity, don’t get all “I’m going to make a White Chocolate Cookie Bar” on me, like I tried. See how repulsive it looks here.)

Adapted from Eagle Brand’s Magic Cookie Bar recipe:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup angel flake shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a foil-lined 9 x 9 inch pan
2. Melt butter in a bowl and stir in graham cracker crumbs; press evenly into bottom of greased pan and pour can of condensed milk on top.
3. Mix together chocolate chips, coconut and nuts in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly across top of bars, gently pressing into condensed milk.
4. Bake for 25 minutes (until lightly browned), and cool on wire rack. Chill in fridge before slicing, and serve at room temperature.
Tips:
- Want thinner bars? Spread into a 13 x 9 inch pan, and just know that it will be harder to evenly spread the crumbs out over a larger base. Really, I put into a 9 x 9 pan not just because I like thicker bars, but because I’m lazy.
- Get creative: these bars are asking for variety. Take your favorite chocolate bar and cut it up into bite sized pieces, and toss on top of the condensed milk instead of the chips/coconut and nuts. (Actually, I have Kit Kat bars waiting for their calling in our pantry right now- guess what I’m baking soon?)
- Don’t forget about the base… add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for more of a butterscotch taste, and add butterscotch chips instead of chocolate to the top.
- What about a white version? Add white chocolate chips, coconut and chopped slivered blanched almonds.
- I could keep going. But I’ll stop, since I have to take the scalloped potatoes out of the oven. You tell me- how do YOU switch these ~~common~~ classics up?
- Avoid this recipe for disaster when making your own Magic Gooey Cookie Bars.
Click Here to PRINT This Recipe Now!
Related Recipes & Posts:
January 15th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Bars, Brownies & Bars, Chocolate, Classics, Coconut, Nuts