I Decree It Is Coconut Month + 7 Layer Bars

Halfway through emptying my third bag of shredded coconut this past week, my tiny reptilian brain began to glimpse a theme in this month's baking. Coconut-Chocolate Tiramisu. Coconut Cream Tarts. Could the common thread be red velvet cake? Licorice whips? Monkey pantaloons? No, no, and NO, that's not it...perhaps coconut? Yes!
There has been a lot of coconut desserts around the hizzy, and I for one couldn't be happier. Coconut in all of its forms is one of my favorite things. Shredded coconut is great in desserts, of course, but I also love it in oatmeal, and as a crust on shrimp or fish. And do you guys know about the amazing manna from heaven that is coconut oil? It's only the greatest baking ingredient/saute liquid/toast topper ever. I could drink the stuff and live happily ever after.

ANYHOW. I figured since I was already on a coconut roll, I should christen this month Coconut Month and go out of my way to find some coconut recipes I've been meaning to try. Coconut Month shall last through the duration of March, or until I lose interest, whichever happens first.

First dessert item on my agenda: 7 Layer Bars, that staple of potlucks and summer picnics, beloved because it requires the least amount of effort of any bar cookie, ever. If you've never had one, a 7-layer bar basically consists of a base of graham cracker crumbs, toasted nuts, 3 kinds of chips (butterscotch, white, chocolate) and coconut, all held together with sweetened condensed milk. I feel like this recipe is so old fashioned, it's one step away from being covered with Jell-O and shoved into a novelty fish-shaped mold.

But, despite its charmingly retro style, it seemed like the perfect recipe for this week, because 1) Duh, it's Coconut Month and 2) look at what I unearthed when I tidied my chip drawer, and by "drawer" I mean "box in the closet" because I have seriously outgrown my tiny kitchen:
Five bags of butterscotch chips! Can you believe this started out as 10 bags? They were on monster sale last year for 25 cents each (EACH! They're usually like 3 or 4 bucks apiece!) so of course, being the obsessive hoarder that I am, I had to fill my basket with cheap-o butterscotch chips, never mind that I rarely, if ever, use them, and am now stuck trying to stick them in random recipes and cursed with guilt every time I see them because there's still so many left. This recipe took a good 1/2 cup, only 9.5 cups more to go!


The bars are ooey-gooey good and so sweet they'll make your fillings hurt, but that's part of their appeal. I shared them with a staunch coconut skeptic who loved them, and although it's been a good 4 or days since they were in the house, my husband is still talking about them and sighing wistfully and dropping not-so-subtle hints as to how much he'd enjoy eating them again. Soon. To which I replied, here's a can opener and a giant box of butterscotch chips. Go forth, my son, and bless you.

Click on for the recipe...


Seven-Layer Bars

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
9 graham crackers (5 ounces), crushed
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup butterscotch chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F. Line a 9x9 pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. (For thinner bars, you can use a 9x13 pan. I'm just a big pig.)

2. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake until it turns a light gold color, stirring every 4 minutes to prevent burning on the edges. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter and combine with graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl. Toss with your fingers until the butter is evenly distributed. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

4. In order, sprinkle the walnuts, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and coconut over the graham crumbs. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the entire dish.

5. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

6. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil or parchment handles and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or bench cutter, cut into small bars.

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TWD: Of Pumpkins and Pies

My experience with the Twofer Pie this week can most accurately be summed up with this image:
[For best results while viewing, imagine hearing that wah-waaaaah horn sound effect, or Nelson from The Simpsons laughing, "HA-ha!"]

Yes, sportsfans, this week was not a success. I'll take some of the blame: I made several mini pies instead of one large pie, and consequently I didn't follow the baking times in the book. Now obviously, I thought the pies were cooked when I took them out of the oven. They were puffed, they were cracked on top, they passed the clean-knife test. But I am here to tell you that these were not, in fact, cooked pies.

I am also here to tell you that underbaked Twofer Pie is not tasty. I can hear you arguing with me--"But surely raw pumpkin batter and gooey unbaked corn syrup make a delectable dessert!" Friends, it is not so.

You may well be asking yourself, "Self, how did Elizabeth get the Twofer Pie out of the infernally tiny mini tins, if it was so sticky and underbaked?" Good question! I used a little elbow grease, a lot of perseverance, and had some help from my friends the kitchen shears.

THIS is why you should always bake in disposable cookware!

So yes, that's one more demerit on my chart. But truthfully, I don't like pumpkin or pecan pie by themselves (I know, I'm like the Grinch Who Hates Thanksgiving) so I didn't have high hopes for liking this pie, and the outcome wasn't a big loss.

However, to redeem myself and make it up to you, I come bearing another pie, a successful, fully-baked pie, no less. And not just any pie: Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie.

This is a new recipe I tried this year to break the monotony of the same old pumpkin pie recipe. Butterscotch chips are added to the base, and although the flavor is not overwhelming, it gives the pie a deep, rich butterscotch undertone that goes nicely with the pumpkin flavor.


Although it didn't make me a pumpkin pie convert, it was a huge step up from traditional pumpkin pie, and I will definitely keep this in holiday rotation. Because of my dislike of pumpkin pie, I would probably make this as shallow tarts next time, and top it with some spiced whipped cream.

Check out the recipe after the jump...



Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie

Pie dough for 1 crust
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 can (15oz) solid-pack pumpkin puree
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground nutmeg
whipped cream, optional

Heat oven to 410. Line pie plate with bottom crust and refrigerate until ready to fill. [Note: the original recipe doesn't specify, but I always partially bake my crusts when making pumpkin pie, so they don't turn out soggy. I also think they're nice when made with a tart dough instead of pie dough.]

In a small saucepan, combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream. Heat over medium
heat about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until smooth. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, whisk pumpkin puree, egg and egg yolk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt,
ginger and nutmeg. Whisk in butterscotch mixture until incorporated. Spoon into
crust and spread smooth.

Bake at 410 for 25 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake an
additional 35 minutes, until the pie puffs slightly. Cover edge
of pie with foil if browning too quickly. Cool at room temperature on a wire rack.
Serve with whipped cream alongside, if desired.

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