Championship Bars
Growing up, one recipe I always remember my mother making was what we like to call Championship Bars. The recipe is a Hershey’s original, straight from the back of a bag of chocolate chips. Simple, but oh so good. I’ve heard people call them Magic Bars, or layer bars, or something of that nature, but Championship Bars has always been the title my family called them.
These cookie bars are a delicious combination of shortbread, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk, which pulls everything together in a gooey layer of goodness. Although this recipe is delicious as is, I decided to thicken it up a bit by adding 8 ounces of cream cheese to the sweetened condensed milk step. Honestly, I’ll probably never make them without the addition of the cream cheese again.
I think one of the best features of this recipe is that it’s made in a 9×13″ pan, so cutting these up and feeding a room full of hungry people is a sinch. With football season in full effect now, these are a perfect treat to bring to the table!… Or to the office. Considering the 50+ mouths in the sales department alone that want a piece of whatever it is that I’m bringing in, making something that yields a dozen doesn’t exactly work out very well.
Championship Bars
adapted from Hershey’s
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut, divided
Directions
In a food processor, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Press firmly into a greased 13×9 in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese on medium until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the milk, egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Hand mix in half of the walnuts, 1 cup of chocolate chips, and half of the coconut. Spread evenly over hot crust. Top with remaining nuts, chips, and coconut. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.