Chocolate Nut Bars

I'm having one of those weeks months where everything I write comes out sounding like pure nauseating drivel. Which is probably why I'm spending more time baking than blogging. And, trust me, the goodies coming from my oven taste much better than the baloney flowing from my fingertips.

These bars, for example, were pure deliciousness. And easy. And I got the recipe from a cook book I never thought I'd use because it has very few pictures. Pictures are important to me.

I could eat the graham cracker crust by itself with a spoon. But then... I say that about most crumb crusts and toppings. In fact, while at work a couple days ago, I ate the crumb topping off a peach cobbler. Lunch of champions, my friends. And it was awesome.

Since I accidentally grabbed milk chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet, I used a combination of both. And I didn't shy away from the pecans. Pecans are your friend. Especially the ones roasted in cinnamon and sugar that I buy from the Huntington Beach farmer's market every Tuesday night.

(This post is making it glaringly obvious why my jeans have become rather snug lately.)



Ingredients
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions | Printer-friendly recipe
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; press firmly on bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 8 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt 1 cup chips with condensed milk and vanilla. Spread mixture over prepared crust. Top with remaining 1 cup chips and nuts; press down firmly.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool. Chill, if desired. Cut into bards. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

And then immediately report back and let me know how you're able to keep baked goods around without inhaling them same day. Thank you.