Hello Dolly Bars

A welcome indulgence when the holidays roll around (and sometimes during non-holiday seasons, if I'm being honest) are these wonderful Hello Dolly bars. My girlfriend Paula got me addicted to them at an early age (D.A.R.E. didn't teach me squat about saying no to the sweet drugs in this confection).

They're the perfect housewarming treat, birthday or Christmas/Hanukkah gift, and a thank-you gift for being treated to a lovely Thanksgiving meal at your boyfriend's parents' ranch.

That last one probably only applies to me.

Hello Dolly Bars

1 box graham cracker crumbs1 can condensed milk1 bag pecans, chopped1 bag semi-sweet morsels (Toll-House, etc)1 bag sweet coconut flakes, moist1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt stick of butter in microwave, about 45 seconds. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a medium sized bowl with a fork, until thoroughly mixed. Press into the bottom of a 13×9" glass pan.

Once thoroughly compacted (I use the bottom of a fork or spoon, but bottoms of drinking glasses work well too), sprinkle a generous amount of semi-sweet morsels on top, evening out until graham cracker is still showing through, but evenly dispersed throughout. Don't you love ambiguous recipes? This recipe is very "to-the-eye" so don't be afraid to use your best judgment, it's hard to mess this recipe up!

Sprinkle chopped pecans. Sprinkle generous amount of coconut flakes, until all is well covered.

Finally, drizzle evenly ½ can of condensed milk on top of the entire mixture. Make sure it is even, not too heavy/thick in some areas. Start slowly and methodically. This is, in my opinion, the only part you can screw up if you're not paying attention.

Bake in oven at 325°F for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into squares. Bars can be frozen and stored for, um, pretty much forever and still be good, but to be on the safe side, I'll say 6 months. Break 'em out of the freezer when an occasion calls for it and you don't have time to make anything else! You'll be finding excuses to do this.

One more thing: my apologies to your thighs. This is not health food.

Please do me a favor and Stumble this recipe to share it with others who love food just as much as we do!

Also - I am only slightly obsessed with this song as of late (thanks to a controversial commercial):

Happy Thanksgiving!

Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake

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