Ever since I began making my own sweetened condensed milk, I have been searching for different recipes to try it out in. Not everything that I have tried worked as I would like it to have but some recipes turned out just too good not to share!
The seven layer bars are something that I always wanted to learn how to make but could never get them to taste right. At least not until I tried making them with my homemade sweetened condensed milk. It was a real game changer for me.
The layers I use in this recipe are as follows: graham crackers, pumpkin puree with spices, cream cheese, chocolate chips, pecan nuts, shredded coconut, and sweetened condensed milk. As you can probably imagine, those are not really seven distinctive layers and they kind of combine together as you make the bars but the point is that together, they simply taste amazing. These bars are so good and perfect for the fall season. The pumpkin, the cinnamon, the baked coconut – that’s the ultimate combination for a perfect fall snack. The rich flavors are amazing on their own but the scent that will be coming out of your kitchen will make you feel truly cozy and warm.
The only thing not perfect about this recipe are the store-bought graham crackers but that’s because I still haven’t figured out how to make them on my own. So I use store-bought in the meantime but I’m always careful to choose ones made from sprouted grains.
Necessary equipment:
- measuring cups
- a small saucepan
- a plastic bag, preferably sealed
- a rolling pin
- a wooden spoon
- a large mixing bowl
- a hand mixer
- a large baking pan
- a spatula
- a knife
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup of graham cracker
- 1/2 cup (about 1 stick) of grass-fed butter (how to make butter)
- 1 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup of softened cream cheese (how to make faux cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup of whole cane sugar
- 1 t. of powdered cinnamon
- 1 cup of chocolate chips (how to make chocolate chips)
- 1/2 cup of chopped pecan nuts (how to soak and dehydrate nuts)
- 1 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Put the graham crackers in a plastic bag. Try to remove as much air as possible.
- Use a rolling pin to crush the crackers until they form fine crumbs.
- Combine the crumbs with melted butter so that you will have a wet sand-like consistency.
- Transfer the crumbs mixture to the bottom of your baking pan in an even layer. This will be your crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes and set the baking pan aside for now.
- Combine the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, whole cane sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to make the mixture completely smooth.
- Spread the pumpkin cream cheese mixture over the baked crust in your baking pan. Make it an even layer as much as possible.
- Now sprinkle the chocolate chips, the chopped pecans, and the shredded coconut on top of the previous layer.
- Drizzle the top with homemade sweetened condensed milk. Be careful not to cover all of the bars with milk, it should be just a light drizzle. Otherwise, the sweetened condensed milk will harden on top and become crusty. The chocolate chips, the chopped pecans, and the shredded coconut should still be visible.
- Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. You should be able to tell when it’s ready because baked coconut gives off a very aromatic scent.
- Take out of the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Cut your bars into the desired shape. I prefer to cut them in tiny squares because they’re packed with many wonderful flavors and eating too much at once can be overpowering.