It isn’t too hard to figure out how these bars get their name. They’re made by applying a series of seven ingredients to a baking dish and binding them together with a can of sweetened condensed milk (thank-you 1950′s America!). The recipe goes like so:
1 stick butter, melted
5 ounces graham crackers, crushed
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
3.5 ounces (1 cup) shredded, sweetened coconut
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Preheat your oven to 350. Spread the coconut out onto a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes until the coconut just starts to brown. Remove and set aside. Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Pour in the melted butter. Add the crushed graham crackers and mix until all the crumbs are moistened. Press the “crust” mixture down into an even layer. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, the white chocolate chips, the butterscotch chips and finally the coconut. Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and pour over the mixture, being careful to cover as much of the pan as possible. Bake about 20 minutes until browned on top.
Allow the bars to cool completely, even refrigerate if desired. Grasping the edges of the parchment paper, pull the baked sheet out of the pan, slice into squares and serve. I think they taste best after they mellow in the fridge for two or three days.
I won’t use sweetened condensed milk, what is an alternative? Can I thicken coconut milk with agar? Is it the consistency I need , the thickness, the stickiness to bind it?
If evaporated milk is OK with you, you can combine 1 cup with 1 cup of sugar and heat it on the stove until the sugar dissolves. There are other combinations of ingredients that are more involved (water plus dry milk plus sugar plus butter) but I don’t know the proportions. Try googling “sweetened condensed milk substitute” and see what comes up.