Yummy Treats

It's a combination of things - I haven't been cooking so much lately and, when I do, I've been using tried and true recipes. But I did do some very yummy treats, both are from the Lion House Entertaining Cookbook.

Fudge Nut Bars (I've done with and without the nuts)

BARS:
1 cup margarine
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats

FUDGE FILLING:
1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts, chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 10x15-inch jelly-roll pan. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, soda, and salt; mix well. Blend in the oats. Set aside while you make the fudge filling.

In the top of a double boiler (or in the microwave in a glass dish), melt the chocolate chips together with the milk, margarine, and salt. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat; add nuts and vanilla.

Reserve 1/3 of the dough; spread the rest in the prepared pan. Cover with the fudge filling. Crumble the remaining dough on top of filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then cut into bars. Makes 30 bars.

German Chocolate Bars

2/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 package German chocolate cake mix
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use the whole bag, plus I always prefer milk chocolate)
1 tub coconut pecan ready-to-spread frosting
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan. In a medium bowl, cut margarine or butter into cake mix using pastry blender or fork. Press half of the mixture (about 2 1/2 cups) in the bottom of the pan. Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer. Drop frosting by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips. Stir milk into the remaining cake mixture and drop teaspoonfuls of this batter on top of frosting. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cake portions of the surface are slightly dry to touch. Cool completely. Cut into 24 squares (4 rows by 6 rows). Cover and refrigerate. Makes 24 bars.