I’m sure everyone has that one holiday dessert that is made every year without fail and is still the favorite every year. For me it’s these cookie bars. They’ve been on the dessert tray as long as I can remember. My Aunt Nancy is a dessert maven and almost all of her desserts involve chocolate. Thankfully she passed the chocoholic gene to me.
I’m not a fan of coconut, it’s a texture thing for me and my awesome aunt would make a batch without coconut just for me. I say just for me because that’s how they were intended but these were so popular I’d have to hide several because both batches were gone before the end of the night.
I started making them when I was 12 and have not missed a year since. We are a two-batch house; one to keep here and one to take to parties as part of a dessert tray. I cut them smaller now I can eat three or four without guilt. The house smells so good while they are in the oven; there’s just something about the smell.
And, it’s RV friendly!
Put the butter in the 13 x 9 baking dish and melt in the oven while you preheat it to 350 degrees.
While the butter melts, mash the graham crackers to make 1 1/2 cups. I’ve done it by placing them in a ZipLoc bag and taking out my aggression with a rolling pin and using a food processor. I prefer the old-fashioned mashing with a rolling pin. I’ve found the food processor gets them too finely crushed then I need more butter to help them hold up as the base.
I like to stir the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and chopped nuts together in a small bowl. To save a dish you can sprinkle the chips and nuts on individually. Either way works. I prefer chopped pecans but walnuts are great and I’m sure almonds would be as well.
Once the butter is melted the layering begins.
Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter, carefully pressing crumbs into butter if necessary.
Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the graham crackers.
Top with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts and coconut if you dare.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. When you pull it out of the oven, run a knife around the edge. Cool completely before cutting. Regular sized bars will yield 24.
Nancy’s 7-Layer Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
- 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans or any nut you’d like)
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 6 oz. butterscotch chips
- 6 oz. coconut
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in 13 x 9 pan while oven is heating.
Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter. Pour sweetened condensed mild over crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients. Bake 25-30 minutes. Run a regular kitchen knife around the edge then cool completely before cutting.