i love to bake.  no doubt about it.  i do have a hard time picking what to bake for others, though.  i love suggestions { and } always worry when people tell me to make whatever i want that it will be disappointing.  or something they don’t eat.  or heaven forbid – they’re allergic to it.  i know, i know.  get over myself.  whatever.  i had to contribute a dessert to a family pre-thanksgiving meal { and } so i started like many other brainstorming sessions by leafing through my magazines.  i came across magic bars in a recent food { and } wine magazine.  they called for bacon.  i couldn’t make that leap.  especially because i wasn’t going to be there to see reactions.  so i made some modifications { and } came up with these.  very rich.  super delicious.  i increased the salt to compensate somewhat for what the bacon would have contributed.  the brown butter in the crust is really what makes it, though.  try them.  you’ll love them. 

 scrape the vanilla bean { and } save the empty pod for vanilla.

 i mixed a bunch of different chocolate chips that i had, use whatever combo you like.

 roasted, salted peanuts.  you could use pecans, walnuts or almonds, too.

 make sure you brown the butter until it’s nice { and } nutty.   s o o o  good.

 mix up the chocolate, nuts { and } coconut.

 i love this picture.

 { and } this one.  you’ll add the sugar, egg yolk { and } scraped vanilla to the solidified butter.

 whip until light { and } fluffy.

 add flour { and } mix until crumbly.  press into prepared pan.

whisk the condensed milk { and } dulce de leche. 

 pour two-thirds milk mixture onto the crust.

 press coconut mixture in firmly.

 drizzle remaining third of milk mixture.

 bake.

 tasty.

magic bars.

make { and } take kitchen, november 2010, adapted from food { and } wine magazine.

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (6 1/2 ounces)
• 12 ounces chocolate chips (3 oz. each: mini semi-sweet, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, { and } white chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped
• one 16-ounce jar dulce de leche
• one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 350°. line a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving up to 1 inch of overhang. spray the paper with vegetable oil spray.
2. in a medium saucepan, cook the butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant { and } browned, about 4 minutes. scrape the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer { and } freeze just until solid, 20-25 minutes.
3. with stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the sugar, vanilla seeds { and } egg yolk into the butter at medium speed until light { and } fluffy, about 2 minutes. add the flour { and } salt { and } beat until moistened crumbs form. press the crumbs into the prepared baking pan { and } bake in the lower third of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is set { and } lightly browned. meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss the coconut with the chocolate chips { and } peanuts.
4. in another bowl, whisk the dulce de leche with the condensed milk; pour two-thirds of it in the crust. lightly press the coconut mixture over the dulce de leche. drizzle the remaining dulce de leche mixture on top.
5. bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on top. transfer the pan to a rack { and } let the bars cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. carefully remove the bars from the pan { and } peel off the paper. cut into bars { and } serve.

the bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 1 week.