Seven Layer Bars

Have you ever felt like you had a calling? Twice in my life,  have I been in the middle of my day, just  going about my business, and a light bulb has just gone "POW" in my brain, and I realize I really, really love what I do.
          The first time was when I was doing my first baking gig, and I FINALLY figured out how to get my muffins to look like the baking diva who taught me how to fold batter. My muffins came out perfectly rounded and amazing on top, and I ruffled my feathers all day, saying to myself, "I love this, truly, truly love to bake and want to get really good at it." That was almost ten years ago, and I've made a living as a baker ever since. The second time, was a few months ago during my internship while facilitating an OT group in Behavioral Health. A patient told me he was so grateful there were people like me to do that kind of job, because it has to be very difficult. To me it didn't feel hard at all, but it actually  felt therapeutic for me to be there, and helping others helped me more than I ever expected it too . It was then that I knew I'd made the right decision to go to school for Occupational Therapy, and that this was a career that I was meant to pursue.
        With all that said, I'm just weeks away from graduating, and now I'm freaking out. I love baking as a job, but it was time to do something else. I will probably bake every single day for fun once it's no longer my day job, and that will just result in my neighbors getting lots of sweet surprises, because we can't eat it all. Seven Layer bars are one of those grandma recipes everyone should have. They're not particularly good for you, but they're hella' easy and completely delicious. I made them for an event this week, and as always, they were a huge hit!

Seven Layer Bars

- 2 packages graham crackers

-1 T. sugar

-3/4  stick butter

-1 cup butterscotch chips

-1 cup chocolate chips ( I use dark to lessen the sweetness)

-1/2 cup coconut

-1/2 cup pecans

-1/2 cup white chocolate chips

-1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Grind graham crackers in food processor with sugar until dusty. Melt butter and stir into graham mixture. press mixture into sprayed 9x13 inch pan. Bake 5 minutes until golden brown. Cool, then sprinkle all layers on top of crust, saving 1/2 the coconut. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk on top of layers, and sprinkle remaining coconut on top of bars. Bake 15-20 minutes, until top is just golden brown and set. Cool.

 The sweetened condensed milk will slightly brown on top, giving it a caramel- rich taste.

The toasted coconut and chocolate and nuts are a match made in heaven with the buttery, crunchy crust. I served these with dark coffee. Tre' yum!!

These are quite sweet, so I usually cut them pretty small. They are a sure cure for a sweet tooth. I'm pretty sure this recipe belonged to a dentist at some point....