When nostalgia hits, you become the tiny, plastic ballerina in a music box lined with former memories. Round and round you go, blurry images encircle you in a fuzzy fog, the simple tinkling of a familiar song plays in the distance. Spying a honeysuckle plant transports me back to my plaid kindergarten uniform sitting in the grass sucking the sweet sap from the delicate stem. The triangular irregularity of a Toblerone chocolate bar sends me right to high school during my first trip abroad. Mashed potatoes, still a comfort food of mine, take me to the one-note college cafeteria where I dreamed of having my own kitchen. Mom’s Seven Layer Bars, a family favorite, stick me right next to the sink at my parents house pouring sweetened condensed milk out of the can and licking my sticky fingers before popping the pan into the oven.
Mom’s Seven Layer Bars
Adapted from: Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk "Magic Cookie Bars"
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, melted (see instruction below)
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (finely crushed)
1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1.5 c. shredded coconut
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. chopped walnuts (or similar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter on the stove top in your 13" x 9" baking pan -- this saves time and a dish! Pour graham cracker crumbs on top of the melted butter and press gently to form an even crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of coconut over crust. Top coconut with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and walnuts. Top with remaining coconut and pour entire can of sweetened condensed milk over the top to seal all the layers together. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Cut into bars when cooled. Store at room temperature.