Salted Nut Rolls

Salted Nut Rolls remind me of my mom.  She was always making these for when one of my cousins came to visit from out of town.  She knew he liked them and as they are so quick and simple, she loved to do this small thing for him.  It also is another of the Christmastime favorites and are a bit like the Salted Nut Bars that Pearson's of St.Paul, MN makes.This is a quick bar to make and it doesn't even require you to turn on an oven, but you do need your stove top.

Salted Nut Rolls

16 oz jar of dry roasted peanuts

3 Tablespoons butter

11 oz. bag peanut butter chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

10 oz. package of mini marshmallows

Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.  Pour 1/2 a jar of the dry roasted peanuts into the bottom of the pan.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, peanut butter chips and sweetened condensed milk over low hat.  Be careful not to let the mixture boil.  Once everything is melted, remove from the heat and stir in the mini marshmallows.  Spread this mixture carefully over the dry roasted peanuts in the bottom of the pan.  Pour the remaining peanuts over the top and press them in.  Refrigerate briefly (for about 15-20 minutes) and then cut into squares.  Makes one cake pan.

Seven Layer Bars

There are many variations in 7 layer bars, but this is the one my family has been making for as long as I can remember.  There are seven sweet layers piled on top of each other and then baked into caramel bar goodness.  Again this is a relatively simple bar to assemble and bake.  I think the challenge comes into play when trying to wrench the bars out of the pan since the caramel has successfully secured the bars to the edges.  These bars also freeze well, so you can enjoy them for weeks to come if you already have too many sweets in the house for the Christmas season.  You can also vary the ingredients if desired by changing up the nut to a walnut, peanut, hazelnut or almond.  The chips you can change for a peanut butter, cinnamon, or white chocolate chip.  Really, the possibilities for other combinations are endless.  However, in the spirit of Christmas past, this is how my family has made these bars, and to bring back sweet memories this is how I made them again this year.

Seven Layer Bars

1/4 pound butter

1 1/4 cups honey graham crackers, crushed

1 cup coconut, flaked

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped pecans

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Melt the butter in a 9x12 inch pan.  Once melted remove and coat the bottom of the pan.  Pour the graham crackers in making sure to cover the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle the coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and pecans over the crust.  Finally, drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the entire mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes or until everything has come together and the sweetened condensed milk is starting to look caramel colored.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting and removing the bars.