Are you in the mood for a sweet, indulgent treat that’s easy to make? Look no further than these Magic Cookie Bars. With a rich, buttery base, a sweet layer of condensed milk, and a topping of chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts, these bars are sure to delight your taste buds.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
- 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand milk
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (3 1/2 oz.) can flaked coconut (1 1/2 c.)
- 1 c. chopped nuts
Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° (325° for glass dish).
- In 13 x 9-inch pan, melt butter in oven.
- Sprinkle with crumbs.
- Top with Eagle Brand milk evenly.
- Top with remaining ingredients.
- Press down. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until lightly brown.
- Cool or chill.
- Cut into bars; store, loosely covered, at room temperature.
Calorie: 250
Total cooking time:45 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
A Magical Kitchen Encounter with Cookie Bars
One fine day, on a quest for a sweet treat, I found myself in the kitchen, armed with a recipe for Magic Cookie Bars. Right off the bat, let me just say, the ingredients list read like a dream. **1/2 c. butter**, **1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs**, **1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand milk**, **6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips**, **1 (3 1/2 oz.) can flaked coconut (1 1/2 c.)**, and **1 c. chopped nuts**. It was like the Avengers of dessert ingredients.
The Oven Preheat Standoff
So, the recipe started with “Preheat oven to 350° (325° for glass dish).” Now, if you’re like me, and your oven takes approximately as long to preheat as it takes for the seasons to change, you understand the struggle. I turned the dial, and the preheat standoff began. Would the oven heat up before I finished prepping? Only time would tell.
Butter Meltdown
Next, the recipe said, “In 13 x 9-inch pan, melt butter in oven.” In went the butter, and I fervently hoped it wouldn’t turn into a liquid gold puddle before the oven was fully preheated. But lo and behold, it did. The butter didn’t just melt. It staged a full-on, dramatic meltdown. On the bright side, it sure did make the pan easy to grease.
Crumb Chaos
The next step was to “Sprinkle with crumbs.” Now, this was a test of patience. Have you ever tried to evenly sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over a pan of melted butter? It’s like trying to evenly distribute sprinkles on a donut. Chaos ensued. Crumbs were flying. It was a crumby situation, to say the least.
Layering Like a Boss
“Top with Eagle Brand milk evenly,” the recipe instructed. Then “Top with remaining ingredients.” This was where the magic started happening. Creating layers of milk, chocolate chips, coconut and nuts felt like creating a culinary masterpiece, even though all I was really doing was channeling my inner toddler and stacking things on top of each other.
The Great Cookie Bar Press-Down
Now, the next bit was a workout. “Press down,” the recipe demanded. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. If you’ve never pushed down on a pile of semi-sweet chocolate chips, flaked coconut and nuts, let me tell you, it’s an experience. It’s like trying to squish a marshmallow – stubborn, but oh-so satisfying.
Baking and Waiting
“Bake 25 to 30 minutes until lightly brown,” the recipe advised. So, into the oven went the pan. And the waiting began. And continued. And continued some more. The aroma of baking cookie bars wafting through the house was sheer torture. I swear, those were the longest 30 minutes of my life.
Cooling, Cutting, and Storing – Oh My!
Once out of the oven, the recipe said to “Cool or chill.” After what felt like an eternity, it was time to “Cut into bars; store, loosely covered, at room temperature.” This was the moment of truth. Would the bars hold together or crumble like my willpower around desserts? Thankfully, they were perfect.
And so, my friends, that’s the story of how I conquered the Magic Cookie Bars. If you’re looking for a kitchen challenge that’s equal parts comedy, chaos, and culinary delight, I highly recommend giving this a try. You’ll have a blast, and you’ll end up with delicious cookie bars at the end of it. What’s not to love?
