My dear friend and neighbor, Susie Mauzy, introduced to my family to these luscious bars when she included several in a sampler box of homemade holiday cookies. After her death, I discovered several of her recipes and this is one of my all-time favorites.  The original recipe was in a Creative Everyday Cooking book under “Quick Desserts,” but I have never found the recipe online.  Here is my modified recipe for beginner cooks.

 

Party Size Dessert Bars (11 x 15-inch pan)

• 4 cups crushed chocolate Teddy Graham cookies (about 20 oz)
• 6 Tablespoons melted butter
• 2 cups coarsely chopped dried apricots (12 oz) TIP: try cutting the fruit with kitchen shears
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz)
• 2 cans Eagle Brand sweetened, condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line the 11 x 15 x 2 -inch baking pan with parchment paper, including the sides. Spray the paper with Pam or other cooking spray.

Crush the cookies in a food processor or in a heavy Ziploc bag using a rolling pin. Place in large bowl and toss with melted butter.  Scatter the cookie crumbs across the bottom of the parchment paper.

Mix the sweetened, condensed milk with the vanilla and pour over the cookie layer.

Mix the chopped apricots, nuts and chocolate chips in bowl and spread evenly across the milk layer.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool pan on trivets or wire rack for a few minutes.

Lift parchment out of pan and cool the slab of cookies on a wire rack to prevent cooking further.  When cool, move the parchment to a cutting mat and use a pizza cutter to divide the slab into squares.

Makes 36 – 48 squares.