I always have grand plans every Christmas. This year I’m going to send homemade Christmas cards! This year I’m going to make peppermint bark and send it to everyone in pretty tins! This year I’m going to make cookies for Brandon’s whole office! Over the years, I have actually accomplished all of these things—though rarely all in the same year—but sometimes it doesn’t work out. I get too busy with work or I’m just too lazy to make all the effort.
This is definitely one of those years. This month has gone by so fast, and I can’t believe we’re less than a week from Christmas. I have a few (store-bought) cards and (not handmade) gifts to send but who knows when I’ll get to the post office. I still have quite a few people to find gifts for! Besides all that, I also have work deadlines hanging over everything. I hate being this stressed, especially during my favorite time of the year! All I really want to be doing this week is watching Christmas movies and making cookies and peppermint bark.
I can’t make all that stress go away but luckily I can get my cookie and chocolate bark fix in one single, insanely easy to make dessert. I found this recipe for double delicious cookie bars that my mom had clipped from a magazine years and years ago and tweaked it a bit for the holidays. The recipe has just four ingredients: chocolate graham cracker crumbs, butter, sweetened condensed milk and chocolate and mint chips. There’s no mixing or stirring or much effort whatsoever. The sweetened condensed milk is poured on top of the chocolate graham cracker crust and then topped with the chocolate and mint chips. Everything bakes together into one big gooey, minty chocolate bar. SO easy!
You can eat these cookie bars at room temperature but I prefer to chill them in the fridge so that the chocolate hardens up a bit. Then it really does taste like peppermint bark! But if mint isn’t your thing, feel free to substitute peanut butter or white chocolate chips. No matter what kinds of chips you use, if you’re looking for a quick, no effort dessert for this stressful time of year these bars are sure to be a hit.
Mint Chocolate Double Delicious Cookie Bars
adapted from Eagle Brand
Dessert | Yield: 24 to 36 bars
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 25 min | Total time: 40 min
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (6 oz.) mint chocolate chips (see recipe notes)
Process
- Heat oven to 350°F or 325°F if using a glass dish. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil. Coat lightly with cooking spray.
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the baking pan.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumbs.
- Sprinkle chocolate and mint chips on top and press down firmly with a spatula.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Lift the foil out of the pan and cut into individual bars.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Recipe Notes
I used Nestle Toll House Winter Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels for this recipe but I’ve tried Andes mint chocolate chips in the past which should work just as well.
Don’t like mint? Substitute peanut butter or white chocolate chips instead.
I always do the same thing with holidays – it was a card year for us so that means I didn’t get to bake much. Some day maybe I’ll get it all together. This looks like the kind of recipe that I’d bake again year after year because it is easy and looks so good. Can’t beat that this time of year. Hope you have a good holiday!
Love how easy these are! They sound wonderfully addictive! 🙂
holy moly they look great! i wish i made these for st. patty’s day
Pingback: 50+ Green Treats
Pingback: Triple Layer Mint Chocolate Cookie Bars
Making these for St Patricks Day & was bummed I couldn’t find mint chocolate chips. They do have mint filled dark chocolate chips now which I’m going to try along with white chocolate chips. Thanks for your recipe 🙂
Pingback: 10 Double chocolate Recipes That Can Make Everyone Happy | Alloverunique