By a show of hands, who has that song in his or her head now? Good. Then we can move on. Hello, Friends. It is nice to have you back … more
By a show of hands, who has that song in his or her head now?
Good. Then we can move on.
Hello, Friends. It is nice to have you back here. We’ve talked about this day. Now it’s finally here.
Okay, fine. It’s only been since Monday. But it feels like we’ve been talking about it forever — that is, what we were going to do with dose dere GF Nilla Wafers we made the other day. But before we go any further, I would like to apologize for the whole oven thing. I’m sorry that, to make the Nillas and the Hello Dollies, you have to turn on the oven. Where so many of you live, it’s hot.
Where I live, it’s hot. And I’d rather make something on the stovetop than in the oven. But these babies are worth it. I swear.
While we’re talking about the heat, I thought I’d share a little factoid: I hate the Summer. There. I said it.
What’s that you ask, Dear Friend? What do I hate the most about Summer? Okay, I’ll tell you: I hate that people feel the need to be nearly naked in the summertime. Did they not get the memo? Here. Here’s the memo. Do me a favor? Take one and pass it — around the world:
MEMORANDUM
TO: Wherever It Is Hot Outside In The World
FROM: Me, Busybody Extraordinaire
RE: Being half naked when it’s hot outsidePlease be advised, Dear World, that, unless you are or look suspiciously like Matthew McConaughey {fair warning: M.M. didn’t get the other Memo — the one that tells us that people don’t like music on web sites, but it’s okay because he’s adorable} in A Time To Kill, we (the rest of the World’s People) don’t want to see you naked, even by half.
For some of you, this might be bad news. For most of you, it’s old news and you have a special obligation to spread The Word. And part of The Word is that it’s actually cooler to wear loose fitting, light colored clothing in the heat.
That settled, let’s get back to Hello Dolly!. If you’re looking for some historical facts, you’ve come to the wrong place. I have looked, but I have come up empty. I have no idea whether these are related to Dolly Madison. There’s a lot of speculation out there on the Internet, but I’m just not sure.
Here’s what I do know: These are your basic trifecta of desserts: rich, impressive, & simple to make.
Making these bars is really more a matter of assembling than active baking. The only stumbling block is a crunchy gluten-free cookie. Traditionally, these are made with a graham cracker crust, and you can definitely go that way. My favorite crust is made of crushed Nilla Wafers. I find that a Nilla Wafer crust balances out the melty chocolate just right, but you should go your own way. Want to make it even easier? Use any old sort of crunchy store-bought GF cookie, like maybe Mi-Del Gluten-Free Crunchy Cinnamon Snaps. These are super flexible. You can sub in nearly anything you like, as long as you have a buttery cookie crust, some chips, and sweetened condensed milk in the mix.
Oh, and just so you know, I’m very forgiving of a Cold & Snowy Winter. I save all my weather-related complaining for The Summer. It all evens out in the end. Most people where I live complain endlessly about the snow we get. I just smile like a lunatic, and shovel the snow.
How about you? Do you have a favorite season? A least favorite season?
- 1½ cups crunchy cookie crumbs, like our Nilla Wafers from the other day
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1½ cups shredded coconut {optional}
- 1½ cups chopped pecan pieces {cheaper than whole pecans}
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease well an 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish, and line with two crisscrossed overhanging strips of parchment paper. Then grease the parchment paper, and set the dish aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the cookie crumbs and the melted butter, and mix to combine well. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, being sure to cover every corner and crevice.
- On top of the cookie crust in even layers, add the semi-sweet chocolate chips, the white chocolate chips, the {optional} coconut and the pecans. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the whole dish.
- Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the dish is a warm brown bubbling gooey mess. *sigh*
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan. If you try to remove it too soon, it won’t hold together. Once cool, grab the overhanging layers of parchment and remove the bars. With a wet knife, slice the bars into 16 pieces. Serve at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.
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xoxo
Nicole
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