Hello Dolly Bars

My mother made these every Christmas. I don’t know why she didn’t make them more often because they are incredibly easy. I’m probably lucky that she didn’t because I’d be as big as a house. I couldn’t stop eating them.

1½ sticks butter

1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and pour into a bowl. Blend in the graham cracker crumbs and pat into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish to form a crust. Layer the chocolate chips evenly across the crust, followed by the coconut, then the pecans. Drizzle the condensed milk over everything, but do not mix or stir. Bake for 25 minutes on the center rack of your oven. Remove and cool before cutting into bars.

Makes 2 dozen bars

THE SILVERWARE DIDN’T ALWAYS MATCH. THE PLATES DIDN’T EITHER. THE NAPKINS WERE OFTEN FROM A PASED-AROUND ROLL OF PAPER TOWELS. BUT THE FOOD LINGERS IN MY MIND AS THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE SAMPLED DELICACIES AT SOME OF THE FINEST RESTAURANTS IN THE WORLD.