| Yield | |
|---|---|
| Source | happyjacks |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Recipe Types | Snacks and Treats |
Sweet squares for an afternoon snack or in-room treats. Few ingredients required, easily adaptable to whatever happens to be in the pantry, and quick and easy to mix together.
| 300 | ml | sweetened condensed milk (1 can) |
| 2 | c | graham wafer crumbs |
| 1 1⁄2 | c | chocolate chips, divided |
| 1⁄2 | c | nuts or coconut or raisins or toffee bits or... (optional) |
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease an 8" square pan (or line with parchment paper).
In a large bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, graham crumbs, 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, nuts or any other ad-ins if using.
Press into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until almost done. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips over top and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and immediately spread the chocolate chips around (while they're hot and melty) to evenly glaze the top.
Allow to cool before slicing into 12 - 16 squares.
I think this was the first recipe I ever baked when I was a kid. I haven't made it in many many years, but it was always popular and quick to disappear from dessert trays. My recipe card from Mom calls these 'Those Yummy Squares'.
My electric ovens run cool to the set temp......both are not the same either.
Bottom one runs as much as 25 degrees cooler........top 15.
I had to get the oven thermometers
I know that the ovens can be calibrated....my cousin had mentioned it.....she is a chef instructor for baking classes at a culinary academy
I made these a couple of days ago. Don't even try cutting and removing them until the next day. I put a little coconut in it. They're delicious, but way too sweet for me. The guests enjoy them!
OK, what did I do wrong? I needed a flame thrower to get them out of the pan. I greased the pan, but no parchment paper. Tried to serve them yesterday but they gooped all over (and still needed to scrape them out of the pan but could have served them in a bowl). Today they are completely set up but not cuttable at all, a saw would help matters. I'd like to try them again but need help on what might have gone wrong.
OK, what did I do wrong? I needed a flame thrower to get them out of the pan. I greased the pan, but no parchment paper. Tried to serve them yesterday but they gooped all over (and still needed to scrape them out of the pan but could have served them in a bowl). Today they are completely set up but not cuttable at all, a saw would help matters. I'd like to try them again but need help on what might have gone wrong.
I would line the pan with foil if you don't have parchment paper (but parchment paper is one of my FAVE kitchen tools). Use it as a sling to lift the cooled thing out before slicing it. Hmmm. We didn't line the pan with anything when I was a kid, just greased it, and that never happened so I'm not sure if that's the problem.
Did you allow them to cool completely before trying to remove them? If they were warm, they would be too soft for cutting. This is the kind of thing to make a day ahead of time. Don't try to serve it an hour out of the oven.
As for needing a saw after they did cool... Does your oven run high? It could have over-cooked, especially around the edges. That would cause the sugars in the batter to caramelize then harden. Try reducing the oven temp by 25 degrees.
At room temp, this should be similar in consistency to blondies: chewy and soft, but definitely holding together.
Sorry I can't say for sure what happened. Let me know if you try it again!
I have noticed that I am taking cookies out a few minutes early now because otherwise they're burnt. It usually only happens with a large cookie sheet but not, say, with brownies. Yes, I tried to take them out about 2 hours after baking and they were still ooey gooey. (Which is what I'm calling them...ooey gooey chocolate graham goodness.) Today it required a steak knife to cut thru the chocolate top. They are still flying off the cake stand (luckily no one has been hit with one of them flying by!)
After digging out the old recipe, I started making these again. They're on the rotation for room treats now and I get lots of requests for the recipe.
The chocolate top goes hard because it's just melted and re-set chocolate chips. It's the lasy way to do it. If you want a softer top, don't do the topping part of the recipe (ie don't spread chips on top at all). Instead make your favourite ganache (chocolate, heavy cream, maybe a touch of corn syrup) and frost them after they've cooled.
I'm definitely trying them again. It was fun beating the graham cracker cookies to a pulp! And I used up all the different pkgs of choco chips I had open as well as the minced walnuts that were hanging around. Next time I might throw in the leftover shredded coconut I bought so the g-kids could make cookie pizza. Maybe I'll just make the cookie pizza!
I made Magic Cookie Bars today to take to a neighborhood gathering and. Similar to this recipe, but with nuts and no melted chocolate on top. I popped them in the freezer for a short time before we left so that they would be OK outside for awhile. They are nice and gooey 
Big hit with everyone!
I made this today and it was very good. Tastes sort of like a S'more. Question, does it ever harden? Mine didn't last long enough to find out.
I've had something that was made very similiar and it tasted like toffee. Maybe they used something other than sweetened condensed milk. I'll have to dig out the recipe and see what it is.
Isn't this the recipe that tastes like toffee once it's cooled?
I don't find it tastes like toffee, but if you stir in some toffee bits to the graham mixture, it's extra soft and chewy. Otherwise, the texture is kinda like a blondie. Or go heavy on the nuts or coconut and it's a different treat.
Yummy! Chocolate..........