No-Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars.

I know these last few weeks of summer are for lighting sparklers and baking banana bread. I know this. There are even three bananas ripening on my counter, waiting to be smashed into some kind of loaf-cake that I will try to pass off as breakfast, and there are still seven things on my summer bucket list waiting to be crossed off. 

But... I'm ready for fall. I can't help it. I'm dreaming of pumpkin spice cakes, cozy sweaters, and homemade kettlecorn. I'm dreaming of baked cinnamon things, stomping on leaves, nutmeg in my coffee, and picking out pumpkins.

I'm dreaming of seven, sun, sand, and ocean-filled days in Hawaii.

Oh and hot chocolate picnics... this should totally be a thing.

Wait.

One of these things is not like the other.

Pumpkin patches... cinnamon and nutmeg ... beaches?

Yes. This is real! In between pumpkin spice scones and cozy sweaters, I'll be spending a week in Hawaii   this fall and to be honest, I will be absolutely useless until then... unless it involves coconut, sundresses, new wedge sandals, summer beach reads, and, you know, important stuff, like figuring out how to twist my hair into a beachy side-braid or the exact amount of tequila it will take to dull my fear of flying.

Without ending up in a scene out of Bridesmaids. 

That was awkward.

Look. Sugar!

These no-bake bars are kind of like Hawaii in the fall. Graham crackers and pecans... totally fall flavors. And coconut!

Let's take a peek.

Slightly soft graham crackers sandwiched around a crunchy, sweet coconut-pecan-graham cracker filling, all topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

And it all starts with graham crackers.

This is how you know you're off to a good start.

Now top those graham crackers with a buttery, sweet mixture of coconut, chopped pecans, and crushed graham crackers.

It's kind of like a tropical pecan pie filling.

... I'm liking all these words.

More graham crackers. Good things are happening here.

Good things like sugary cream cheese frosting. You're worth it!

Summer baking = not baking = more time to shop for wedge heels. And... go!

No- Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars

Printable Recipe

Bars

1 (16-ounce) box of graham crackers

1 cup crushed graham crackers

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 cup shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a 13-x-9-inch baking pan with graham cracker squares. 

Melt the butter in saucepan and add sugar. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Slowly and continuously stir into the butter mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly (to keep the egg from scrambling). Remove from heat.

Stir in nuts, coconut, and crushed graham crackers. Pour over graham cracker squares and spread evenly using a spatula. Top with another layer of graham cracker squares, pressing them down gently into the filling.

For the cream cheese frosting, place cream cheese in a bowl and soften using a rubber spatula. Gradually add butter and beat together until smooth and creamy. Sift in powdered sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Spread frosting over graham cracker bars evenly. Or not. No big deal.

Chill. Cut into squares. 

Best if kept in the refrigerator and served chilled.

Source: Graham cracker bars from Paula Deen. Frosting from Martha Stewart.

Chewy No-Bake Cookies & Cream Treats.

Things I don't understand:

Macarons. Cake pops. Cake in a jar. We get it. You're fancy. 

Nutella. What is the deal. I remember eating this as a kid and thinking score, chocolate on my toast! Chocolate for breakfast! Chocolate in my face!  But people go kind of crazy for this stuff, no? I don't know. Team Peanut Butter.

Red velvet cake. I feel like I'm going to get radioactive superpowers from all that food dye.

Fondant. I don't like you.

Gnocchi. Quinoa. Dulce de leche. Mascarpone. What are you. I can't even pronounce you.

Brownies. Can I throwdown? I don't like brownies. I mean, if you held me down and shoved a warm, chocolatey brownie into my face, I wouldn't punch you in the kneecaps, but they're just kind of boring and square and dense. Like they tried to be cake and failed. Chocolatey bricks. I just can't get behind this. Put some rocky road on that.  

Things I do understand: 

Marshmallows. 

Oreos.

Butter.

These are similar to the chocolate chip cookie treats I made last month, except these use a whole package of crumbled Oreo cookies instead of chocolate chip! The chocolate chip cookie treats are still my favorite... but then I've always preferred them to Oreos. 

These... let me tell you. These taste like a chewy, cookie-y, Oreo marshmallow Rice Krispie Treat. So. Good. Addictive really. And dangerous. 3 ingredients, 15 minutes, and this no-bake dessert can be in your face. Don't you just love summer? 

I know. I didn't mix them enough. They should actually be black, like an Oreo, not gray, like a slab of concrete. Don't be like me.

Chewy No-Bake Cookies & Cream Bars

Printable Recipe

1 (16-ounce) package of Oreo cookies
5 cups (1 bag) of large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter

Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to hang over the edges, and set aside.

Place Oreo cookies in food processor (or crush in a large Ziploc bag with a rolling pin) and pulse until crumbly, but not ground.

Melt marshmallows and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl until puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove and pour in ground cookies. Quickly stir to combine, then transfer to baking dish. 

Allow to set for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bars from pan by foil edges. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Source: Picky Palate.

Chewy No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Treats.

Chocolate chip cookies and puffy marshmallows. That's what I'm asking you to put in your face today. 

These over-the-top no-bake cookie bars are perfect for those sweltering, lazy summer days when the thought of turning on your oven makes you want to cry, but you needchocolatenoworelse... and they couldn't be any easier to make. 

Melt marshmallows. Crush cookies. Stir. Dump in pan. 

Simple. Fast. Delicious.

Three ingredients, three minutes, and nothing but swirls of puffy, melted marshmallows and crumbled chocolate chip cookies. And it's every bit as rich and over-the-top as it sounds.

Like... a chewy, cookie Rice Krispie treat, studded with mini chocolate chips instead of crispy cereal.

Or a cookie-flavored marshmallow.

Or a cookie s'more!

... I'm pretty much in love with these.

Look at those cookie crumbles. Dreamy.

These were inspired by Jenny from Picky Palate's no-bake cookies & cream and Nutter Butter cookie bars and are hands-down one of the best things I have ever made, with only one problem: I literally cannot stop eating them. Yeah. That happened.

Chewy No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Treats

Printable Recipe

One 16-ounce package of crispy chocolate chip cookies (the bars won't stay together if you use soft, chewy cookies) 
5 cups (1 bag) of large marshmallows
4 tablespoons of butter

Place chocolate chip cookies in food processor (or smash in a large Ziplock bag with a rolling pin) and pulse until crumbly, but not ground.

Melt marshmallows and butter in a microwave-safe bowl until puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove and pour in ground cookies.

Quickly stir to combine, then transfer to a 8x8-inch baking dish lined with foil.

Allow to set for 10-15 minutes. Remove bars out of pan by the foil edges. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Picky Palate.