Magic Cookie Bars

These bars scream Christmas to me, because I've been eating them since I was a little girl. My mother made these every year as part of our holiday preparations and I continue the tradition today. For me, it's just not Christmastime with out them!


They are very sweet, gooey and rich... but incredibly addictive. I love them with a hot cup of coffee. And, you can change them to fit your preference. Nuts, no nuts. Don't like butterscotch? Use all chocolate chips... or vanilla, or white chocolate or peanut butter chips. M & M's are good in these too. I've even tried this using a chocolate cookie layer instead of graham cracker. Just crush chocolate cookies and follow the recipe as if they were grahams. Good stuff!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I don't use the nuts usually)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Makes 36 servings (small, as these are very rich)