Magic Cookie Bars

Wow, have I already been home for five days? Time sure does fly when you're lazy and tired all the time. Trying to recover from a 14 hour time difference hasn't been totally easy. Today is the first day I actually feel a bit normal and a lot less tired, and last night was the first night I got a full night's sleep without the aid of naps during the day or a sleeping pill. Jetlag aside, it has been wonderful being back in America. I've enjoyed spending time with my family by watching movies, playing games, shopping (yay!), and of course eating. Boy have we been eating. My awesome mother has been saving a turkey for me since November and we had Christmas and Thanksgiving this past weekend. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade bread, stuffing..the works. I was too tired to really help much, and slept nearly the whole time the turkey was cooking, but the whole house smelled like the holidays when I woke up. It was wonderful. 

Last night after a day of shopping (boot sale!) my mom and I stopped by Kroger on the way home to pick up two ingredients we needed to make these bars. Of course we ended up getting more (it was apparently a day of sales). I remember my mom making these for me and my sister when we were little and for some reason I can't remember the last time I had them. It had to have been when we were living in southern Mississippi, which was at least 5 years ago. Because my mom made them, I think I just assumed it was her special recipe, and that this elusive recipe had to be found by searching old recipe card holders. Thankfully, that was not the case. My mom never used a recipe, because she just knew how to make them. I now understand why. These are seriously SO EASY to make. The hardest part is melting the butter and mixing it with the graham crackers. After that you just pour the milk, dump the ingredients on top and bake it. Half an hour later you are left with an amazingly decadent bar that you will not forget. Cut yourself a square and pour a glass of milk!

Magic Cookie Bars

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups mini chocolate chips 

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 

1/2 cup toffee bits

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1 square unsweetened bakers chocolate, melted.

Directions

Heat oven to 350˚F (325˚F for glass dish) . Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, and press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture, and gently spread with a rubber spatula. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a spatula. 

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Once out of the oven, drizzle with unsweetened chocolate. Cool, then cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature, or freeze for later.