German Chocolate Bars.

The first year I was dating my husband he decided to make me a birthday cake for my birthday. It was a very sweet thing to undertake, considering my favorite cake is German Chocolate (not an easy cake to make) and he had my kids underfoot while he sent me on errands to surprise me with the cake.  I guess everything went pretty well, until he got a little behind schedule.  I came home sooner than he thought so he sent me off the grocery store for "one more thing he had to have" and he frosted the hot cake.  Of course, the icing began to melt so he stuffed it all into the freezer to cool.  When I pulled into the driveway, he quickly pulled the cake from the freezer wanting it on the table when I walked through the door, only to have the cake do a back flip and land frosting-side-down on the floor.  I walked into a big chocolate and coconut mess in the middle of the kitchen!  I was surprised all right.

In other years, my husband did deliver a German Chocolate cake.  And, almost every year we relive the saga of the first birthday cake!

Come to find out, my dad's favorite cake is also German Chocolate.  We enjoyed it in June for his birthday.  I was really craving it again, but a whole cake is a lot and then I found this recipe on Pinterest from bake or break.  Wow, these are soooo good (I can't add enough oooos on the so).  I served this at family dinner and I shared a plate with the neighbors, there were none to take to work the next day.

A couple days later my dad informed me I could make those German Chocolate bars again, any time and as often as I wanted.  They were a favorite.  My neighbor's husband also said they were a big hit.  I'm not naming any names, but SOMEone ate so many I went to bed with a stomach ache...it was worth it.

German Chocolate Bars
from bake or break

• 3 cups pecan halves
• 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 & 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Arrange pecans in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking.

Line bottom and sides of a 9"x 13" baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.

Whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, and cocoa. Add cold butter, and combine with a pastry blender* until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into bottom and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.

Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crust. Allow to cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Place eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over partially baked crust.

Bake 28-34 minutes, or until edges are golden and filling has set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Then, refrigerate for an hour.

Using foil overhang, lift bars from pan and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars.

*I did this in my food processor, it was so fast

July 26, 2013  SRise 4:31 am SSet 11:21 pm (-6 min. 51 sec.)  Temp H 77/ L 55°F

Random picture of a white spider in my garden.