7 Layer Bars (One Pan!)

By Ronica Skarphol Brownson

These were taken from my Mom's KMOT TV Minot ND cookbook from the 70's. There were 3 versions of this recipe in there, and probably a million like it on the web. I figured that must mean they are good. I was right! Some people call these Dolly Madison bars, or 7 Story Bars. I love how easy they are, how great the house smells when they are done, how quick they go together, and of course, how delicious they come out!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 small (7 oz.) bag sweetened coconut
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
1 can Eagle brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the stick of butter in a 9x13 pan and put it in the oven to melt. When melted, swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides. Sprinkle the rest of the ingredients, in the order given, as evenly as possible in the pan. Do not stir. Drizzle the milk evenly over the whole works. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool well before cutting. Store in the fridge.

Some tips I read:

If the coconut goes on last (or you save some for the top) it will get all toasty.
You can put half the milk over the crumbs, then the rest over the toppings to make it hold together better. I didn't have any trouble with mine, but it's a variation.
Line the pan with parchment paper or non-stick foil for ease of release.
You can mix the butter and crumbs in a bowl, then pat in for a more firm crust. Again, I had no trouble with mine, so I would skip this step.
Change the chips, nuts, etc. for your own variations. This week mine used peanut butter, milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips with pecans. Mainly this is because someone stuck the wrong kind of chips in the butterscotch spot on the shelf at Wegman's and I grabbed the wrong bag. But they were delicious so that was fine with me!

Root Beer Cookies

by Gerry Krupa

1 c packed brown sugar   

4 oz margarine   

2 oz (1/2 a stick) butter   

1 egg      

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 3/4 c flour   

2 t root beer concentrate, such as McCormick's

for the icing:

2 c confectioner's sugar   

1/3 c butter

2 to 4 T water

1 t root beer concentrate

For the cookies: Beat brown sugar. margarine, butter and egg for several minutes until well blended and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla,baking soda, salt, the flour in increments and the root beer concentrate. The batter will be stiff. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls spaced about 2 inches apart onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. The cookies will spread.

For the icing; Combine confectioner's sugar with the butter and mix well. In a measuring cup, combine water and root beer concentrate. Add to sugar-butter mixture and mix well, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency. Spread on the cooled cookies.