Hello Dolly Bars

More sugary treats coming your way! It’s okay though. I can justify it because the holidays are upon us! Especially since these are one of my all time favorite desserts, then again, I probably say that about most desserts. But seriously, these do have an extra special place in my heart because these bars were one of the very first things I ever learned how to bake. I used to make them for our girl scouts’ bake sale. Let me explain. In Nicaragua we didn’t sell girl scout cookies like the ones you have here, instead we sold real cookies made by girl scouts. In my opinion, our cookies are better than some samoas in a box but hey, what do I know?

I made these hello dolly bars for our bake sales, and they were a best seller. I should mention, that they produce the most amazing aroma when they are baking. It reminds me of being a kid again. If you haven’t heard of these but they look familiar, its probably because they have a million different names. I call them hello dolly bars but some people call them magic bars, or 5 layer bars. Either way, they are delicious.

I’m still using the recipe I used over 10 years ago, with some minor tweaks. More chocolate chips and less nuts to be exact. But you can adjust them to whatever your taste may be. One funny thing about these bars, they aren’t very good when they are warm. In fact I don’t like them when they are warm at all. I’m usually eating my baked goods right out of the oven but this is one exception. I try to let them cool completely before I have any. I try.

From my mom’s recipe box

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup graham crackers ( I like the cinnamon kind)
1/3 cup of butter
1 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of sweet shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 (14 oz) can of sweet condensed milk

Directions

Preheat over to 325 degrees F.

Place some parchment paper in a 9 x 13 baking dish (of course I forgot this step but I suggest you do it). Then melt the butter in the microwave or over the stove. Crush the graham crackers until very fine and then combine the melted butter and the graham crackers in the baking dish. Pat down the graham cracker mixture with your hands to create the crust. Spread chocolate chips over the crust. Next, evenly spread the coconut over the top. Add chopped walnuts and lastly, drizzle the sweet condensed milk over the top.

Bake for 25- 30 minutes until golden brown around the edges and it smells amazing. Let cool completely before cutting and eating (trust me, its better this way).