~chocolate Joy Bars~

Here’s the ditz on this recipe~~ it flopped, I was making cookies, but they all oozed and blobbed together when baked, and they were really ‘ugly ducklings’, BUT they were famously awesomely boholiciously wonderful tasting! As I peered into the oven when they were baking, I knew these were no longer ‘cookies’ because they didn’t hold their form~~I mean what’s a cookie supposed to be? Something you can pick up and eat, right? I took a knife and separated these Siamese cookies, but, alas, that didn’t work either in making them a real cookie.

I did salvage these curmudgeon cookies, but that night I tossed and turned wondering what I should have done. So true to my competitive self, I got up the next morning and made another batch using basically the same recipe, BUT baking them in a pan~~well, in my case, tart pans. They were spectacular! Chewy and moist, when cooled completely, like overnight, they sliced really well. Since I had so many of these, I did a littl’ Red Riding Hood giveaway!

Makes: One large baking dish or two medium size baking dishes

Preheat Oven to 350

What you need:

1/3 cup Crisco

½ cup salted room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 beaten room temperature eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

1 heaping tbl instant espresso coffee (optional—intensifies chocolate flavor—yummm!)

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup chopped chocolate chips or chunks (put in food processor)

1 cup roasted & chopped almonds

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

What you do:

In a large mixing bowl cream together the Crisco, butter, sugar and whip. Add the vanilla and eggs and blend.

In another mixing bowl, combine the baking soda, baking powder, salt espresso, flour, cocoa powder and chopped chocolate chunks and blend well.

Put the almonds in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and roast for about 5-7 minutes turning frequently so they don’t burn. Remove and put them in the food processor and roughly chop. Combine the nuts and coconut in a small bowl. Set aside.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and blend well. Dollop a heaping tablespoon of the batter on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (leave plenty of space between the cookies because they spread out when baked), scoop a ‘well’ in the center using the back of a spoon and fill with the coconut/almond mixture. Pat down with your hand.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven about 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. You can choose to ‘scrunch’ into ‘mounds’ and serve in small bowls with a spoon/ice cream. Or you can leave the cookies as is and hope they hold together! Some of mine did, some didn’t—the most important thing is that they are BOHOLICIOUSLY scrumptious!!