Sweet Treat: Hello Dolly Bars

Jules and I share a massive weakness for sweets, so naturally we’re always on the lookout for dessert recipes – the easier, the better. This recipe for Hello Dolly Bars (from the trusty Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook) is a Southern variation of Magic Cookie Bars, widely regarded as the crack cocaine of baked goods. Hello Dolly Bars cover all the possible dessert bases: chocolate, nuts, butterscotch, coconut…these babies are the total package! And they could not be any easier to make. You literally just dump everything in a bowl, mix it up, and bake it. Boom!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups chopped pecans

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

One and a half sticks butter, melted

One and a half 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

Frankly you could stop right now and just munch on this.

 

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and set it aside. Mix together all the ingredients except the condensed milk in a large bowl.

Transfer the mixture to your greased pan and pat down evenly with your hands or a flat spoon. Then pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top so that the mixture is mostly covered. Use a spatula to spread it out evenly if necessary.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden, then cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, leave it on the counter and allow it to set overnight before cutting and serving. When I first made these, I made the mistake of sticking them in the fridge so they would set more quickly. Do not do this or they will become insanely hard to cut and you’ll have to wait for them to warm up to room temperature again. Once they did, though, they were soft, gooey, delicious perfection.

Have you tried Hello Dolly Bars (or their better-known cousin, the Magic Cookie Bar)? They sort of remind me of cookie dough in bar form. With lots of yummy add-ins. If you try them, let us know what you think!

♥ Mil