By Two weeks until Christmas. I have been cooking in batches on weekends: the Christmas ham glaze is made and waiting, the cookie assortment is growing in tins in my pantry, and I have been to three grocery stores looking for the particular kind of muscadine preserves that Gloria likes as an accompaniment to the Christmas ham and I finally found them at the specialty store in Montgomery and drove an hour round trip for them without regret.
Tyler and I have talked about Christmas. His family does Christmas Eve and my family, meaning Gloria and James, does Christmas morning. We are going to do both, which means Christmas Eve at the Clarkes and then Christmas morning at Gloria's, which is a logistics achievement that Tyler organized and that I did not ask him to organize because I was trying to figure it out myself. He said you do not have to choose. I said I know but the schedules. He said let me figure out the schedules. He figured out the schedules.
I made a cranberry orange bread this week, a new variation on last year's cranberry walnut: fresh cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, a handful of pecans. The orange zest makes everything brighter. I made two loaves and brought one to the daycare teachers room and ate the other at Gloria's table on Sunday while we talked about what we were going to cook next week.
Next week. I love that there is always a next week with this kitchen and this woman and her hands that directed me to where I am.
The cranberry orange bread is one loaf and one gift and one Sunday at Gloria’s table — and it was exactly what it needed to be. But the tins in the pantry still have room, and a Christmas that includes two families and one very organized Tyler deserves something layered and a little indulgent to round out the assortment. These Christmas 7 Layer Bars have been in my rotation for years precisely because they are effortless and generous and they travel well and every single person who tries one asks for the recipe. This is the recipe.
Christmas 7 Layer Bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 28 minutes | Total Time: 38 minutes | Servings: 24 bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Make the crust. Pour the melted butter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the butter and press gently into an even layer.
- Add the layers. Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the crust, followed by the butterscotch chips, then the shredded coconut, then the chopped pecans — one layer at a time, in that order.
- Add the condensed milk. Pour the sweetened condensed milk in a slow, even drizzle over the entire surface, covering as much of the top layer as possible.
- Bake. Bake for 25–28 minutes, until the edges are golden and the top is lightly set. The center may look soft but will firm as it cools.
- Cool completely. Let the pan cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. For cleanest cuts, refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing into bars.
- Serve or store. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. These layer beautifully in holiday tins with parchment between rows.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 218 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 88mg