52 Cookies - Chapter 46

I goofed this week.  I found a recipe I liked the sound of, different than what I'd been selecting lately and got ahead of the game and baked them on Tuesday.  Evan came home from school and I asked him if he'd like to try them.  In typical fashion, he asked what they were called.  I told him and he responded, matter-of-factly, "You've already made those." 

Silenced by my son's words, I thought for a moment.  Rather than deny that he was right, I considered that he actually might be.  I stewed over this for a couple of hours.  I needed to go pick Owen up from preschool and then I had all sorts of other pressing things to take care of.  After dinner that night, I made time to get on the computer and do a little "research."  Bam!  Sure enough, right there in Week #25, back in June, I did, in fact, make Peanut Butter and Jelly Squares. 

Darn.  I had another batch of cookies to bake.  That very same day, this recipe popped up from one of the many weekly e-newsletters that flood my inbox from various cooking and baking websites.  Most of these sites are powered by the likes of Kraft, Pillsbury, Nestle, etc.  These looked interesting.  A bit of a new twist on the ever-popular Magic Cookie Bar, they combine many of the same ingredients, but not exactly the same and include one new one.  Surely though, they can come up with a more imaginative name for these cookies than Triple Layer Cookie Bar.  Where are their genious marketing department folks?  They really dropped the ball on this one.  And the advertising people with all of their alluring adjectives.  You really fell asleep on the job.  Sorry.  My previous life in marketing and advertising gets the best of me sometimes and I move into critique mode.  By the way, this recipe came from Eagle Brand (the good folks who bring us sweetened condensed milk).

Triple Layer Cookie Bar (yawn)

Here's What You Need:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Here's What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray or do like I do and line the pan with foil, then lightly spray it.  This makes for easier cutting of the bars, especially if you are wanting to cut them fancy or serve for something special.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of your panpan. Sprinkle the top with the coconut. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over coconut layer.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter on high for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over hot coconut layer. Cool for 15 minutes on wire rack. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until chocolate is set. Cut into bars or squares.  It will vary how many you get out of this recipe.  At least 24 servings.

Let me just say, these cookie are yummy with a capital Y!  My first impression?  "These taste like a candy bar!"  Kinda like a Mounds bar what with all the chocolate and coconut, but yet you have that essence of peanut butter which is nothing like a Mounds.  If you like chocolate and you like coconut and you like peanut butter, you are going to L-O-V-E these little pieces of heaven in your mouth.  And trust me, you won't eat just one, ever.  This recipe is a keeper!

Jenna gives these cookies a lip-smacking thumbs up!