These classic cookies are a guaranteed win – easy, foolproof, and more delectable than their seven simple ingredients would seem to warrant. You don’t even need a mixing bowl, or a spoon. Just spread ingredients in a baking dish and slide it in the oven. Originally developed during the 1960s, during the popularity of “Hello Dolly” on Broadway.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (add 1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full crackers)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or Rice Krispies if you don’t like nuts)
- 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut (unsweetened or sweetened, either works fine)
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for glass dish). Put the stick of butter in an 8″x8″ baking pan (a 13″x9″ baking pan works too; bars will be less thick) and set it in the heating oven to melt.
- Crush the crackers into crumbs. You can use a food processor, or put the crackers in a ziplock bag (leave a little opening for air to escape) and roll a rolling pin over it to crush the crackers into crumbs.
- Remove pan from oven when butter has melted (add salt if using unsalted butter). Add the graham cracker crumbs to the pan and mix the crumbs well with the butter. Spread the crumbs evenly and press down to form a crust on the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle over, one ingredient at a time: nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut. As evenly as you can, pour the sweetened condensed milk over it all.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. The edges of overbaked cookies can get a bit hard, so don’t overdo it. The only risk to underbaking is the crust may be a bit crumbly. Cool before cutting. Store covered at room temperature.
Notes
- This is a flexible recipe – you can substitute for what you like and have on hand.
- For a nut-free version, simply leave out the nuts or substitute with 1 cup Rice Krispies.
- If you don’t have butterscotch chips, you could use white chocolate chips or just another cup of chocolate chips.
- Even if you don’t typically like coconut, give it a try here – the coconut gives the bar a nice chew and helps hold it together.
- Digestive biscuits make a great substitute for graham crackers.
- Some recipes use 1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk, which works also. The bars don’t hold together as well, but the bar will be less sweet.
Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.
