Seven-Layer Bars

This is my year of the cookie.  After realizing how few varieties I made last year, I have promised myself to make at least one batch of cookies or finger desserts a week for the rest of the year.  It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.  The project is progressing rather well, and my co-workers look for my little green cookie tin every time I have a shift.

My godmother introduced me to these.  While not technically cookies because there's no dough, they are about the right chewiness.  (Wow, spell-checker actually recognizes that as a word.  Quinoa - nope.)

Yes, there are a lot of ingredients in this one, but it's all in small amounts.  Odds are, it will use the last bits of the bag that you bought for something else.  And yes, apparently the butter counts as a layer.

To serve these, you need to put them in paper muffin liners.  Otherwise, they'll fall apart.  This makes them excellent for packing in tins to give as gifts or laying out on a platter at a party.  And because they are made from pre-cooked ingredients, they stay moist and fresh at room temperature for at least a week.  Yeah, right, a week.

6 Tb butter
1-1/4 C graham cracker crumbs
*1 C chocolate chips
*1 C butterscotch chips
1 C shredded coconut
*1 C chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

1.  Melt butter and combine with graham crumbs.  (Make crumbs by pulverizing graham crackers in a ziplock with a rolling pin.)  The crumbs don't have to be entirely moistened.  Spread across the bottom of an 8" square pan.

2.  Start making the layers by evenly distributing the chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, and nuts.  Pour the condensed milk evenly over all and let it soak in while the oven is preheating to 325º, at least 15 minutes.

3.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Let sit in pan for 10 minutes, then cut into 2" squares.  Allow to cool thoroughly before removing squares from pan.  Store in a sealed container.

Makes 16 2" squares

Difficulty rating  π