Possibly Fatal Cookie Recipe

Memory did not fail me, and I found on the first real try (always a delightful surprise) a recipe I last made several years ago and only Dreamed about since. A few years ago, while still on a cookbook- and recipe-collecting orgy, I bought a little supermarket booklet of Nestle baking recipes. Ooh bad mistake.

The single most decadent recipe is for Chocolatey Raspberry Crumb Bars. I Dreamed about these bars rather than make them, for several years, as I did not wish either myself or my husband to die from sheer dessert overload. But this year I needed a baked Christmas present, and found the recipe, and made it...

Combine 2 sticks butter, brown sugar, flour. Press most of this crust into a pan and bake. Then pour atop it, 1 can of condensed milk and 1 cup chocolate chips melted together.

We could stop now. But why stop now?

Dollop the remaining crust crumbs atop the chocolate, along with chopped pecans. And raspberry jam. And another cup of chocolate chips. Bake.

Lick all bowls and pans clean. Have a big glass of milk ready for this part. Beware any tooth-destroying extra-chewy stuff clinging to the spoon that stirred the milk-chocolate mixture. I think I'm going to go nuts for a while figuring out every possible use for the milk-chocolate mixture, other than just eating it straight from the pot, pouring it on my husband, etc. (super-easy cake or cookie or brownie icing for one thing, mock fudge sauce over ice cream...)

Oh yeah the finished bars are pretty damn good. Gooey as hell. Best to let them cool thoroughly before cutting, use a non-stick baking pan and plenty of non-stick spray.

If I added coconut to the topping as well, I think it really might be the ultimate baked cookie bar. But I would be dead. Best to leave such things to the experts. After all, the same booklet contains Swirled Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake Bars. And Outrageous Cookie Bars, which does in fact include coconut. And graham cracker crumbs, which automatically makes them healthy. They must be healthy, since I made them years ago too and didn't die. Likewise the Chunky Pecan Pie Bars.