Amish Man Bars

– 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
– 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
– 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
– 1 cup chopped walnuts
– 1 cup shredded coconut
– 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Take an age-old trick from my book and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving a bit of overhang for easy bar removal. Go ahead and lightly grease the foil with butter.

2. In your dish, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until you’ve got a nice, crumbly base. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the dish, creating a solid layer that’ll hold all the goodness we’re about to pile on top.

3. Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the crumb crust, followed by the chopped walnuts and a generous sprinkling of coconut. It’s like planting a garden of sweet morsels that will soon blossom into a decadent treat.

4. Now, open that can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it over the whole landscape, gently, corner to corner, like the first snowfall in winter, covering everything in a blanket of sweetness.

5. Slide that dish into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top has set. The aroma that fills your kitchen will be nothing short of heavenly.

6. Patience, my dear. Let those bars cool completely before lifting out the slab using the foil overhang. Cut into squares, and you’ve got yourself a pan of nostalgia to savor and share.

– If you’re fond of a bit of variety, feel free to swap out those walnuts for pecans or almonds for a different kind of crunch.
– A sprinkle of butterscotch chips alongside the chocolate can add a new dimension of flavor for those with a sweet tooth two towns over.
– For a less sweet version, opt for unsweetened coconut flakes.
– These bars keep well in an airtight container, but I hardly think you’ll need to store them for long. They have a way of disappearing faster than a rabbit in a cornfield!