Five Star Bars★★★★★

Five Star Bars are a quick, no-fuss cookie bar that takes minutes to prepare and seconds to devour!  I give these cookies a 5-star rating! ★★★★★  Made with graham wafer crumbs, coconut and sweetened condensed milk and a generous topping of creamy, smooth, milk chocolate, these cookies are an instant hit on the holiday cookie tray.  

Five Star bars are a family favourite, especially if there is a party of some sort.  They show up at birthday parties, anniversaries, baby and bridal showers and at all kinds of church or family functions. I think part of their popularity is because they are so easy to make.

The milk chocolate topping is usually made with melted Aero Bars but any milk chocolate of the same amount will do.  Actually, you can use any chocolate you like. I'm not partial to milk chocolate so I'd use semi-sweet if I had my way but as I'm making them for family I'll stick with the milk chocolate and somehow choke them down. You can also switch up the flavour of the chocolate topping by using the orange or mint Aero bars.  

Make sure you don't over bake these cookies.  The longer they bake the drier they become and no one wants a dry cookie bar.  

These cookies are great served cold from the refrigerator or at room temperature and if you want to get a head start on Christmas baking they freeze very well.  

Printable recipe at bottom of post.

Five Star Bars ★★★★★
1½ cups graham wafer crumbs
2 cups unsweetened fine cut coconut 
1 can (14 oz/300ml) sweetened condensed milk or 1¼ cups homemade
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup butter, melted

4 Aero Bars, plain, orange, or mint or the equivalent in milk chocolate, about 170 grams/6 ounces/1 cup, chopped.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and line with parchment paper a 9x9-inch or 8x10-inch pan.  

In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients together until well combined.   Press the mixture in the prepared pan.  Bake 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees. The bars should be just baked on the sides and still soft in the middle.  I actually baked mine 12 minutes.  Know your oven.

Cool and spread with 4 melted Aero Bars or the equivalent in milk chocolate.  Alternatively, you can break up the bars and lay the pieces on the hot bars and let them melt and then spread.  

Cool the bars completely before cutting into bars or squares.

Makes 25-36 bars, depending on size cut.

Place all ingredients, except chocolate, in a large bowl.

 Mix ingredients until well combined.  It will be very thick.

Press the mixture into a well-greased and parchment paper lined pan.

Bake until just barely baked.  The sides should be baked but the middle should be what you would ordinarily consider under baked.  If you bake it longer the bars will be dry and crumbly.

Six small treat-sized Aero bars have about the same amount of chocolate as a regular 42 gram bar.

Instead of melting the chocolate separately, I like to lay the pieces on the hot bars and let it melt from the heat.

I usually lay the pan back in the warm oven (turned off, of course).

Once the chocolate has melted spread with an offset spatula or some kind of knife or back of a spoon.

Let the bars cool thoroughly at room temperature.  If the squares have cooled but the chocolate is still a little soft, lay the pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes.  Do not let the chocolate get rock hard.

Let the squares cool thoroughly before cutting.  The chocolate must be completely set. When lining the pan with parchment paper make sure there is an over hang which can be used to lift the squares out of the pan for easy cutting.

I cut my squares 6x6 to give 36 small cookies.  They are quite rich so a little goes a long way.  Of course you can cut them larger, if you wish.

To make neat cuts, dip your knife in hot water, wipe dry and make one cut.  Wipe crumbs off knife and repeat with the hot water.  It takes longer to cut the squares but you'll be pleased at how neat and professional looking the cut squares look.

 Maybe someone would like a midnight snack.

Chewy and chocolaty.  What could be better?

Make sure you have plenty for special guests and family.

Five Star Bars are perfect for your holiday cookie tray.

print recipe

Five Star Bars★★★★★

by Lois Gill November-5-2017

Made with graham wafer crumbs, coconut and sweetened condensed milk and a generous topping of milk chocolate, these cookies are an instant hit on the cookie tray.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups graham wafer crumbs
• 2 cups unsweetened fine cut coconut
• 1 can (14 oz/300ml) sweetened condensed milk or 1¼ cups homemade
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 4 Aero Bars, plain, orange, or mint or the equivalent in milk chocolate, about 170 grams/6 ounces/1 cup, chopped.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment paper a 9x9-inch or 8x10-inch pan.

In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients together until well combined. Press the mixture in the prepared pan. Bake 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees. The bars should be just baked on the sides and still soft in the middle. I actually baked mine 12 minutes. Know your oven.

Cool and spread with 4 melted Aero Bars or the equivalent in milk chocolate. Alternatively, you can break up the bars and lay the pieces on the hot bars and let them melt and then spread.

Cool the bars completely before cutting into bars or squares.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 25-30, depending on size cut