CrazyBusy Mama! (Dot Calm)

Photo Courtesy of EAGLE BRAND

If you’re a crazybusy mama, finding time to bake for your family can be a near-impossible task. Even if you do have the time after a busy day, you may not want to spend it cooking anything besides dinner. Believe me, I’ve been there.

So, each Sunday here at CBM (CrazyBusy Mama), I’m going to showcase an easy recipe. Lazy Sunday afternoons can be prime baking time, so posting recipes on days like today just seems, well, natural.

Today’s recipe for Magic Bars is a favorite with my family. The Magic Bars recipe was developed by Eagle Brand, makers of Sweetened Condensed Milk, among other things. I find it’s a perfect recipe for cool fall days, and a delectable accompaniment to a glass of milk for after-school snacks.

If you’d like to see more recipes like this one, check out the link to the Eagle Brand cookbook at the bottom of this post.

Magic Cookie Bars from EAGLE BRAND ®

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
* 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
* 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
* 1 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13×9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Source: AllRecipes.com

My notes:

• I recommend using real butter. It just tastes better.
• I break graham crackers into pieces and give them a whirl in my KitchenAid food processor, but if you’re pressed for time, just by the pre-packaged graham cracker crumbs.
• To make these my signature magic bars, I add chopped dates, white chocolate chips (along with semi-sweet chocolate chips), and use pecans instead of walnuts (the recipe doesn’t specify which kind to use, but I’ve tried both and prefer pecans). I also put the coconut on last, and press it all down — gently — with a fork.

Enjoy!

©2009 Sally Dinius (except recipe)
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Highly Recommended:

Travel back to your childhood with the Eagle Brand Classic Recipes cookbook. It’s perfect for finding recipes to make for holiday gatherings. Or…give it as a gift!