Basic 7 Layer Bars with an Extra Ingredient!

I love to make treats for my friends as part of a Christmas gift.  I was listening to Spirit 105.3 a radio station here for Christmas music and heard the host talk about these bars she makes every year that are a hit!  I went on a google search and found the recipe for Basic Seven Layers Bars on Chow.  Easy recipe now I added White chocolate chips because they are my favorite and doubled the recipe!

Basic Seven  Eight Layer Bars

Ingredients

• 8 whole graham crackers (about 4 ounces), broken in half
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 4 pieces
• 1 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or any combination (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts, such as pecans or almonds
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Place the graham crackers in a resealable plastic bag, press out the air, and seal, leaving about 1 inch unsealed. Using a rolling pin, roll over the crackers until they are fine, uniform crumbs (you should have about 1 cup of crumbs). Alternatively, you can place the crackers in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process for about 1 minute.
3. Place the butter in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and place in the oven until the butter has melted, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove the dish from the oven and tilt it so the butter evenly coats the bottom. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter, then sprinkle the coconut over the crumbs. Sprinkle the chocolate, peanut butter, white chocolate, or butterscotch chips over the coconut, then sprinkle the nuts over the chips. Evenly drizzle the condensed milk over all of the layers.
5. Bake until golden brown around the edges and springy to the touch, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into 24 squares and serve.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips and White Chips making 8 ingredients used.

I must say these were a HUGE hit my own girlfriend was so funny I gave her treats at church then when I went to an evening service to give my other friend her gift my first friend tried to snag the box of these .. lol.  Even my friends husband and daughter told me how good they are and to make sure to give them the recipe.

Merry Christmas! I promise these will be a yearly treat!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

Next on my list to do before I left for Boston was to make a treat to take with me.  I love to make caramel corn it's easy and always a hit.  I of course can't make the same type each time, so I found a recipe on Food.com for Cinnamon Bun Popcorn.

Ingredients:

12 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup kernels or 2 bags of microwave popcorn)
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup real butter (= 1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 pieces white almond bark or 2 pieces white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Pop your popcorn according to directions. Be sure and check for any UN-popped kernels, those are the WORST to bite into unexpectedly.

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon, butter and karo in a medium sized pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to rolling boil. Remove from heat and add your vanilla and baking soda. The baking soda will make your caramel mixture foam up and rise, don't be alarmed, it's suppose to (this is why you need to use a tall sided pot if you have one).

Pour your caramel mixture over your popcorn and pecans and stir well.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool down. Break into bite size pieces. Store in an air tight container.

Alexis notes:  I made blow your mind microwave popcorn, that way you're popping your own popcorn.  I had some of my homemade butter left over and used that. I also used Wilton Melts in bright white to drizzle over the done popcorn.

Any treats planned to make?

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Alton Brown's Peanut Butter Fudge

Well a few days ago I showed a peanut butter fudge I made, then a card came in the mail with a very nice gift card from one of Rick's cousins and Rick suggested I make something ... hmmm now I think about that statement I so got played again he gets to reap the rewards and I have to make the treats ... hmmm ok deal with that later .. lol!  So I wanted to make the peanut butter fudge again but then I came across this recipe from Alton Brown that was almost similar but the way to make it in the microwave had an extra step putting saran wrap on it.  I thought well why not try it, it actually came out a little smoother.  I didn't taste (due to the diet) but my tester tried and said they really liked it.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound powdered sugar

Directions

Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it will be very hot.) Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. The mixture will become hard to stir and lose its sheen. Spread into a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Fold the excess parchment paper so it covers the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Alexis Note ** I used my silicone pan that made it easy to have them in bricks that I cut into squares. **

I hope you enjoy another easy recipe you can throw together for any party this weekend.

And find these cute bins at the Dollar Tree

Makes it fun to give out!