CHOCOLATE NUT BARS

I actually made these Chocolate Nut Bars two days in a row. They are so good and so, so easy. I made them Monday for my husband to take to the tax office at Fort Leavenworth and then again yesterday morning to take to Hillcrest Thrift Shop to share with the other volunteers downstairs. 

I had a little trouble getting them out of the pan Monday morning, but they were so scrumptous, I decided to make them again yesterday morning and try not baking the crust. I also sprayed the pan with cooking spray. That worked and they were easy to get out of the pan. 

When I wrote down the recipe, I lowered the temperature to 350 degrees F to bake the crust (the original recipe baked it at 375 degrees F and then lowered the temperature to 350 degrees to bake the bars.) I found a similar recipe that didn't have you baking the crust at all (that's why I lowered the temperature to bake the crust for the 8 minutes) and thought I would try that way the second time and see how it turned out. 

Plenty of the crumbs stuck to the bars without baking the crust, but there were crumbs left in the pan after serving the bars. You can try either way and see what works for you. 

My husband brought home an empty container Monday when he came home and when my three hour shift at the register ended, I found a pan with just crumbs in it. Two volunteers were working in the community room and Donna told me everyone had been raving about the bars. (I'm glad I left a couple at home before I took them to the thrift shop.)

CHOCOLATE NUT BARS

1-3/4      cups graham cracker crumbs (1 package of whole crackers)
1/2         cup margarine or butter, melted
1             (14 - oz) can sweetened condensed milk (low fat will work)
1             (12 - oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1             teaspoon vanilla extract
1             cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pray a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine melted margarine with crumbs and press in the bottom of the pan. 

Bake 8 minutes. (It will work without baking the crust.)
The first picture is of one I baked.

This one I melted the butter in the pan, sprinkled the crumbs evenly over the melted butter, and then sprayed the top with cooking spray to wet it.

Melt the milk,1 cup of the chips, and vanilla over low heat in a small saucepan stirring til smooth. 

Pour mixture over prepared crust.

Top with remaining 1 cup of the chips; 

then nuts. 

Press down firmly with fingertips.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Cool.

Cut into 24 bars to serve.

Store loosely covered at room temperature.