Do you remember any of your bubble bursting moments?  I remember thinking these cookie bars were the most amazing secret recipe of my mom’s – simply because she’d make them all the time without looking at a recipe.  The are so yummy, and perfect because every ingredient either comes straight from the pantry, or is always on hand (butter) so you can stock up and have everything you need at a moment’s notice.

Anyway, the first time I was away from home and wanted to make them myself I picked up all the ingredients from the store.  While shopping I saw the recipe for Magic Cookie Bars on the back of the can of Eagle’s Sweetened Condensed Milk I was buying.  What?  My Mom is famous!  Her recipe is on the back of a can!  Pause…  Thinking it through…  Oh. 

Oh well, they’re still awesome. 

I have a friend who was going through a very rough time so the kids and I made up a yummy batch and sent it her way.  Sometimes it’s important to make the extra effort to send a handwritten note and homemade treats instead of an email or a Facebook comment.  And I loved that the kids got into it.  I’m sure that knowing they’d get to taste a few before we boxed the rest up had nothing to do with it.

So, so easy! You can just follow the recipe on the can, or use my family recipe, which is ever so slightly different, or adjust it to fit your liking.  Sub in walnuts for pecans, leave out the nuts or the coconut, whatever.  I remember my mom only put coconut on half the pan, since she liked it and the kids didn’t.  It ensured that half the pan would always be reserved for her.  There was even a time when she’d make 2 pans, one for the kids, and the other which she would hide in her room somewhere.  Probably to eat with the door locked while we knocked on the door asking her what she was doing in there.  Bless that woman!

Ingredients: 2 packages of graham crackers (1/2 box), 1 stick of butter, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 bag chocolate chips, 1 C chopped pecans, 1 C unsweetened coconut.

Step 1: have kids crush 2 packages of graham crackers (half a box)

make sure they really get into it.

Step 2: Put 1 sitck of butter in a 9×13 pan and put it in the oven.  Turn the oven on to 375 and let the butter melt as the oven pre-heats.

Step 3: mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs.  Press them down to make a crust on the bottom of the pan.  Pour in 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, a bag of chocolate chips, 1 cup of chopped pecans and 1 cup of unsweetened coconut.  Press them all down into the condensed milk.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until the sweetened condensed milk is a golden brown and bubbling up around the other ingredients.  Mmm.

Try to let them cool completely before cutting.  Or scoop out some before they’re ready and burn your mouth a bit because they smell so good you just can’t wait.  I won’t tell.