7-layer Heaven (in a bar)

These bars are truly divine. They are, quite simply, a very small bit of heaven on Earth. Superbly sweet and gooey. Perfect for when you need to make a dessert quickly. Buy these ingredients and keep them in your pantry and then when you need to make something quickly, here you go. These bars don’t require any real baking skills and you can’t really screw them up unless you burn them (but you won’t do that!) My daughter, Jennifer, bakes these. She makes a crust first with the graham crackers and butter then layers the other ingredients. These bars are always her go-to dessert and are always welcome around our family. In doing some research for these bars (which aren’t gentle on the thighs), I found that you can dump all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the sweet condensed milk, and it works! So sweet indeed. Simple and delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 sticks unsalted, sweet butter, melted

2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (you can buy them this way)

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips (you can also use peanut butter chips or arrange a medley of whatever chips you like as long as you end up using 2 cups total)

1 1/2 14oz. cans (21 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan (I spray lightly with baking spray.)

Mix together all the ingredients except for the sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and pat it down evenly with your clean hands. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top to cover, using a spatula or a knife to spread, if necessary. If you like, you can add nuts on top of the sweetened condensed milk, too. That’s up to you, but this couldn’t be easier to do. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until it looks golden brown. Cool to room temperature.

*yields about 24 2-inch bars (or cut into little squares). Best if left to cool overnight before cutting and serving, when possible.