Apricot, Coconut, and Milk Chocolate Bar Cookies

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

* 1 and 3/4 cups Lorna Doone cookie crumbs (measure AFTER crushing) (buy 2 packages—you’ll have some left over, but the kids will love them as an after-school snack)
* 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened, condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
* 1/2 cup dried apricot pieces (measure AFTER chopping)
* 2 cups milk chocolate chips (I used Nestlé—an 11-ounce or a 12-ounce package will do fine.)
* 1 cup shredded coconut flakes (pack it down when you measure it)

### Directions

1. Prepare your pan. Use a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan to make these yummy bar cookies.
2. Melt 1/2 cup of salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces) in the microwave or on the stovetop. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of the cake pan. Tip the pan so that the melted butter covers the bottom of the pan and approximately an inch up the sides of the pan.
3. Crush 1 package of the Lorna Doone cookies in a food processor with the steel blade attached. Measure the cookie crumbs and if you have one and three-quarters cups of cookie crumbs, you have enough for this recipe.
4. Take out one-quarter cup of cookie crumbs and set them aside in a small bowl on the counter.
5. Scatter the one and one-half cups of cookie crumbs that remain, over the bottom of the cake pan as evenly as you can.
6. Open the can of sweetened, condensed milk and pour it, as evenly as you can, over the cookie crumbs in the bottom of the pan.
7. Remember that quarter-cup of cookie crumbs you saved? Take one Tablespoon of the cookie crumbs and sprinkle them over the bottom of the bowl of the food processor.
8. Place approximately 15 dried apricot halves on top of the cookie crumbs in the bottom of the food processor.
9. Sprinkle another Tablespoon of the cookie crumbs over the top of the apricots.
10. Chop the dried apricots with the steel blade, using an on-and-off motion until the pieces of apricot are in small pieces.
11. Take the chopped apricots out of the food processor and measure them. If you have 1/2 cup of chopped apricot pieces, you have enough.
12. If you don’t have enough chopped, dried apricots, sprinkle another Tablespoon of cookie crumbs over the bottom of your now empty food processor bowl. Place more apricot halves over the crumbs in the food processor. (If your first batch of apricot halves made approximately a half-cup of pieces, then that is perfect. If you have too many, that’s okay. These bar cookies will work anyway.)
13. Sprinkle the remaining cookie crumbs over the dried apricot halves.
14. Chop the second batch of dried apricots (only if needed) with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the apricots are in small pieces.
15. Measure out enough chopped apricot pieces to equal approximately 1/2 cup in all.
16. Scatter them over top of the sweetened, condensed milk in your pan.
17. Measure out 2 cups of milk chocolate chips. Scatter the chips over the chopped apricots as evenly as you can.
18. Measure out 1 cup of shredded coconut flakes. Don’t forget to press them down in the measuring cup.
19. Scatter the coconut over the top of the milk chocolate chips in your baking pan.
20. Use a wide, flat metal spatula to press everything down in the cake pan. If you don’t have a wide, flat metal spatula, moisten your incredibly clean palms and use your hands to press everything down.
21. Bake your Apricot, Coconut, and Milk Chocolate Bar Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 30 (thirty) minutes.
22. Take your bar cookies out of the oven and place them on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack to cool.
23. Wait until your bar cookies are cool before cutting them into brownie-sized pieces.

**Yield**: 20 to 30 deliciously sinful bar cookies, depending on the size you cut the bars. Serve these bar cookies with strong black coffee, or icy cold glasses of milk.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.