These are cookie bars with a few different names, you may know them as magic bars or seven layer bars or hello dolly bars, but in my family they are known as grizzly knuckles. My mom has fond childhood memories of these sticky, gooey treats packed in picnics to the lake–where all the kiddos rode in the back of the pickup truck. What fun!

These treats are a little fancier than the ones my mom grew up with, but delicious and still simple to make, all the same. I added extra chocolate (dark chocolate chips are bigger than regular, semi-sweet varieties, and who doesn’t love more chocolate?) and coconut chips to up the ante and add more texture to these cookie bars gives them a more grown-up appeal. Bake these gems up and enjoy every last little crumble!

Grizzly Knuckle Cookie Bars
(adapted from the NY Times Magic Cookie Bars Recipe)

FOR THE CRUST:
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly, more for greasing the pan
2 3/4 cups graham crackers, finely ground
¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups chopped or chips bittersweet chocolate
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chocolate
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup coconut chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Line it with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.

In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs with brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and egg and mix until the crumbs are completely moistened and large clumps have formed.

Tip the graham cracker mixture out into the prepared pan. Crumble the mixture to divide it evenly across the bottom of the pan, then use your fingers to spread it out into an even layer, lightly pressing it into the pan. Bake the crust until it is set and dry, about 15 minutes.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crust and spread it out into an even layer. Sprinkle half the chocolate and half the pecans evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the coconut on in an even layer. Then sprinkle the remaining chocolate and nuts evenly over the top.

Bake until toppings are evenly golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. To serve, lift the bar out of the pan using the parchment overhang, transfer it to a cutting board and cut into 15 bars.

Serve and enjoy!

(Note: bars are best served the day of, otherwise the graham cracker crust gets softer and loses some of it’s delightful texture).