Christmas baking has commenced and I have successfully made one very yummy cookie (these monster bars) and one absolutely horrible cookie. (It was a tragic poppy seed concoction made with peanut oil.  A story on NPR made me do it.  Big mistake.)  I liked the magic bars because they are chocolaty and creamy and crunchy all in one.  PLUS, bars in general are easy to make because you just throw them in a pan and then cut them up at the end.  Shortcuts are key when you're trying to make lots of cookies in a short amount of time, right?

Other than the baking, my family went to a local farm to buy a Christmas tree.  Super fun!  Our first tree in the new house AND we bought it from a farm with a petting zoo.  Lily loved the little pig and the sheep and the goats.   The goats loved that I had food to feed to them and got a little... aggressive.  But that's ok, they were cute enough to melt even the muddiest heart.  Which leads me to my future profession: petting zoo owner.  Those people are so smart.  We paid the farmers a dollar a cup to feed their animals!  So, essentially, I was paying a premium to do their chores for them.  Why am I not smart enough to come up with these business ideas? 

Monster Magic Cookie Bars 

9 full graham crackers 4 tbsp. butter 1 can sweetened condensed milk approximately 3/4 c. oats approximately 1 c. M&Ms approximately 3/4 c. chocolate chips   In a zipper baggie, crush the graham crackers using a rolling pin (or crush them in a food processor and then put them in the bag).  Once crushed, add the 4 tbsp. butter to the bag.  Place in the microwave and heat up for about 30 seconds.  Remove from the microwave, let out the air and make sure the bag is sealed, and “mush” the butter and graham crackers together until they are fully incorporated.

Press the graham cracker crumbs into a well-greased and parchment lined 9×13 baking dish.

Evenly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker layer.  Sprinkle the oats, M&Ms, and chocolate chips evenly over the sweetened condensed milk and gently press in a little.

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until browned and pulling away from the edges.  Let cool before serving.

Source: Adapted slightly from Something Swanky