Hello Dollies

These little bars are a guaranteed hit, if you're looking for a simple to make crowd-pleaser. The amount of time they lasted in my office? About 30 minutes...and that was without everyone around. And since then? One of my coworkers has mentioned almost every day "how great it would be to have some Hello Dollies around here". I think he liked them. Anyways, so long as people don't have a nut allergy or dislike coconut, you should be pretty good to go with these puppies. My mother's been making them for years and I always assumed they were really complicated, because they look like they have so many intricate details. Turns out I was wrong, as I learned when she passed along the recipe to me at my bridal shower.* I will warn that despite being easy to make, they are super messy to eat, so always have napkins or a plate nearby!


These are also one of Will's favorite desserts, which is why my mom finally shared the recipe. Some of the ingredients may be a smidge expensive for your everyday budget, but when you make them, it's completely worth it. All you need are six ingredients, a 9x13 pan, and an oven. How hard is that? Answer: not hard. So when you aren't feeling like investing a lot of time or effort into something to bake, these might be your go to. The hardest part is squishing the melted butter/graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan. The rest just falls into place :)

Kay's Hello Dollies (serves minimum 16, depending how you cut)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate bits
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and graham cracker crumbs; press firmly on bottom of a 9x13 baking pan, using either your fingers or the tines of a fork. Add a layer each of coconut, chocolate, and nuts. Pour sweetened condensed milk over top. Bake 25 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into bars and serve!

*At my first bridal shower, everyone was asked to bring or send along their favorite dessert recipe, so I could have a special collection from all the wonderful women in my life. I will be blogging about these recipes as I try them!