My {Graham Cracker} Fix

Chewy, gooey treats
for your summer appetite.
...not your beach body.

I can't resist a warm, fresh-baked cookie out of the oven or a good s'more at a summer bonfire, and this recipe combines the two. If you are looking to enhance your "cheat day" experience, you can find all the ingredients in a single grocery store aisle for about $20.

Seven-layer or magic bars are essentially lots of sinfully sweet ingredients, layered atop lots of other sinfully sweet ingredients. Disclaimer: this recipe is not healthy by any means, but anyone who tries these bars never seems to regret it.

Gooey S'mores Magic Bars
{featured in Progressions online}
Makes 1 Dozen Bars

You Need:
-1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
-1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
-1 cup dark chocolate chips
-1 cup peanut butter chips
-1 ½ cup mini marshmallows
-1 cup pecans, chopped
-1 cup sweetened coconut, shredded

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

-Spread graham cracker crumbs across the pan -- TIP: Stores sell boxes of just the crumbs so you don’t need to worry about crushing the regular size crackers. 

-Combine the condensed milk and graham crackers, firmly pressing the mixture down to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Most magic bar recipes combine the graham crackers with butter then use a layer of condensed milk on top, which creates a crunchy crust. Combining the graham crackers and condensed milk eliminates the need for butter and creates a soft, cookie-like texture.

-Layer the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, marshmallows, pecans and coconut on top of the graham cracker crust.

-Bake for 20 minutes in the oven, or until the marshmallows and coconut become golden brown.

-Let bars cool for one hour, and cut into squares. Enjoy!

The rich dark chocolate complements the creamy peanut butter so the sweetness of the other ingredients is not overpowering. The combination of roasted coconut and marshmallows adds a crunch to these gooey, melt-in-your-mouth treats.