Baking cookies can be time consuming…a dozen a time, repeating the process many times, 10-15 minutes per pan. Then each time you sit down and get involved in something, the buzzer is going off on the stove!
With bars, you can put them in the oven and walk away, saving a little bit of time. Most bar recipes (like this one) are easy to make, cut into whatever size you’d like, present well in a cupcake liner, are versatile, easily transportable, and last a couple of days. This bar recipe is a great alternative and can be changed a bit by substituting blueberry or seedless raspberry jam.
Chocolate Strawberry Walnut Crumb Bars Recipe
Ingredients
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups flour
1/2 light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
1 can (14oz) Nestle® Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 chopped walnuts
1/3 seedless strawberry jam (substitute blueberry or raspberry, if desired)
Instructions
For the Crumb Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 13x9 pan.
- Beat butter in a standard mixing bowl until creamy.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, and salt together, then add to butter. Beat on medium until completely mixed.
- With hands, press 1-3/4 cups of the mixture evenly on the bottom of prepared pan. (Reserve the rest for later.)
- Bake for 10 -12 minutes, or until lightly browned on edges.
For the Bars:
- While the crust is baking, melt 1 cup chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk over a double boiler until silky smooth.
- Pour chocolate mixture over the top of crust.
- Now drop bits of raw crust, small dollops of strawberry jam, walnuts, and remaining chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until center is set.
- Cool completely before cutting into bars.
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