The Cookbook Junkies

Two Magic Bar Recipes — Lemon and Chocolate Overload + King Arthur Giveaway

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lemonbars

The farmer’s market in my town has a bread vendor that sells an incredible lemon and white chocolate bread.   The lemon isn’t overpowering and the white chocolate isn’t overly sweet — it’s just perfect.  It’s that bread maker that turned me on to lemon and white chocolate as a flavor combination.

My son, Andrew loves magic bars also known as seven layer bars or Hello Dollies.  I love to experiment with different flavor combinations in my desserts.   Since it is Spring and I recently ordered some lemon chips from King Arthur, I thought a lemon and white chocolate magic bar would be nice – and I was so right.  (I always tell my husband – if you would just go in knowing that I am right, life would be so much easier).

 

browniemagic

 

While I was experimenting, I decided to try a brownie based magic bar with miniature peanut butter cups – this one I’m calling chocolate overload.  I shared both of these bars with friends and with the ladies at the thrift store – and while I was checking out the cookbooks (surprise) I heard moaning from the front register – they were very pleased.

Recipes for these bars follow the GIVEAWAY.  The lovely folks at King Arthur are offering to one of my U.S. readers a care package to throw together these lemon magic bars.  It will include a bag of the lemon chips (these are so delicious – fresh and lemony), a bag of their unsweetened coconut flakes and a bag of mini white chocolate chips.  Please leave a comment on this post and let me know which bar is calling your name – lemon or chocolate overload. A random winner will be chosen on April 13th.  Good luck. Random Number Generator picked #5 Laurel Eden! Congratulations!

Lemon Magic Bars

8 x 8 baking pan (parchment lined to cover the bottom and up the sides to allow you handles to remove the bars)

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup of butter melted

pinch of sea salt

Mix the above ingredients and pat into the bottom of the 8 x 8 inch pan.  Set aside.

8 oz. of sweetened condensed milk (or more)

3/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (sweetened is fine)

3/4 cup of white chocolate chips

3/4 cup of lemon chips

2/3 cup of pecans, chopped

We like our magic bars a little thicker — you can eye ball these amounts.

On the graham cracker crust, spread a layer of almost all of the following ingredients (reserve a 1/2 handful for later) lemon chips, white chocolate, pecans and finally the coconut — drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top–if need a little more than the 8 oz. use it — should be almost covered (sometimes I carefully use an offset spatula to distribute the milk).  I then add the reserved lemon chips and white chocolate chips and a bit of coconut over the mixture.   Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until it looks set.  Let cool and then cut into small bars.  These are rich — a bite or two is just enough for your dessert trays.  Option:  Feel free to add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the condensed milk to give it more pucker.

Chocolate Overload Bars

For the brownie base, use your favorite brownie mix or recipe — I used approximately a 1/2 of Ghiradelli’s brownie mix for this base and used the remaining batter to make some brownies in cupcake form.

Follow the package or your favorite brownie directions and spread 1/2 of the batter into a parchment lined (as instructed in the lemon bars) 8 x 8 pan.  Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

2/3 cup of butterscotch chips

2/3 cup of chocolate chips

2/3 cups of mini peanut butter cups (or you can use peanut butter morsels)

8 oz. of sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup of unsweetened coconut

2/3 cup of chopped pecans

While brownie batter is partially baked and still warm, start layering your chips, peanut butter cups, coconut and pecans — I pressed down lightly to compact the ingredients.  Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the bars.  Sprinkle with a  few chocolate chips and pecans if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees or 25 to 30 minutes until set.  Let cool and then cut into small bars to serve.  Option:  Feel free to add some caramel bits or the caramel center morsels that Nestle has available now.  I have ideas for mini snicker bites, butter finger bites etc.  You can make these your own.

 

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Comments

  7. 7

    “Hello Doliies” have been a holiday favorite in our family for years. This lemon version sounds amazing – cannot wait to try them.

    Reply
  17. 17

    Lemon bars. What a great idea. I am always looking for someway to put my son’s favorite flavor in front of him.

    Reply
  27. 27

    I love chocolate magic layer bars but seriously, a lemon version – no contest Magic Lemon Bars!!

    Reply
  35. 35

    My first reaction was to go with the Chocolate but I think I should try the Lemon Magic Bars to see what Blaise is always so excited about.

    Reply

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