3rd stop on the Country Inns in the White Mountains 13th Annual Inn to Inn Cookie & Candy Tour takes us to the 1785 Inn, where we are baking Seven Layer Cookies (and at this stop, we learn how seven layers became ten).
My biggest fault as a cook is often my greatest blessing: rarely can I prepare a recipe as-is. My general rule is to prepare a recipe once as directed, then tailor it on subsequent remakes. But sometimes the adventurous side of me takes over and my good intentions go out the window.
Case in point, this very competent Seven Layer Cookie recipe from the 1785 Inn: when prepared as directed, I have no doubt it produces one heck of a holiday cookie. But because I believe in transparency, I admit I tweaked this recipe before making it through even once. Was it a wise move? Only your taste buds can decide.
My adapted version of this cookie is sweet…perhaps a tad sweeter than the original recipe. And since sweet isn’t necessarily my thing, I found my version like fudge—love it, but a little goes a long way. Mr. Inn Cuisine, on the other hand, ADORED these cookies (and you know what they say about the way to a man’s heart).
In all fairness to the 1785 Inn, I’m going to provide their original recipe, then include my tweaks at the end. I didn’t necessarily change their recipe (i.e. make substitutions), as much as I added extra ingredients to it. Hence, this is how Seven Layer Cookies become Ten Layer Cookies (I’m also including a tip for turning these into Eleven Layer Cookies which I think would be divine).
Whichever version you try, it is my sincere hope you enjoy them. And should you find the adventurous baker in you shining through, I encourage you to make your own adaptations as well!
Seven Layer Cookies (and How They Became Ten Layer Cookies)
(featured on Inn Cuisine, original recipe from the 1785 Inn as featured in the 13th Annual Holiday Inn to Inn Cookie & Candy Tour presented by the Country Inns in the White Mountains)
Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup crushed graham crackers
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups butterscotch chips
- 7 ounces flaked coconut
- 2 cups chopped walnuts
- 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Melt the butter in a saucepan and mix in the crushed graham crackers. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9”x13” pan. Layer in the chocolate chips, layer in the butterscotch chips, layer in the coconut, layer in the walnuts, and cover with the condensed milk. Bake at 350oF for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.
Ten Layer Cookies
(adapted recipe as pictured on Inn Cuisine)
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup crushed graham crackers
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup dark chocolate baking chips
* 1 cup butterscotch baking chips
* 1 cup Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee baking chips
* 7 ounces sweetened angel-flake coconut
* 2 cups chopped walnuts
* 7 ounces canned Dulce de Leche
* 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan and mix in the crushed graham crackers. Press the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13″x9″ pan. Layer in the semisweet chocolate chips, layer in the dark chocolate baking chips, layer in the butterscotch baking chips, layer in the Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee bits, layer in the flaked coconut, and layer in the chopped walnuts. In a small bowl, mix 7 ounces EACH (14 ounces in total) canned Dulce de Leche and sweetened condensed milk (warm in the microwave for a few seconds if necessary to blend and make pourable). Pour mixture evenly over layered ingredients. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan and cut into squares. Serve at room temperature.
Note: like many prepared dishes, I found these cookies to taste even better the day after they were baked. Also, if you’re interested in turning Ten Layer Cookies into Eleven Layer Cookies, consider adding a layer of miniature marshmallow as well (1 cup).
Printer-Friendly Recipe (Adaptations Included)
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
**swoons**
Okay. The additions of the toffee chips and the Dulce de Leche have me sold;)
These could not be any more decadent and wonderful!!
oh my gosh, im drooling here!
i’m a tweaker too, and i don’t see how adding three more layers of sweet deliciousness could do anything but improve those bars. amazing.
I know that the 1785 Inn has fabulous food! Tough to improve perfection. I’ll try both recipes! I’m sure they’re both fabulous. Thanks for sharing this with us!
I would be glad to have of the versions, yumm!
You made it even better….drools…
You just have to love all the layers!!!
Oh wow, these sound so amazing. I first had 7 layer cookies at my high school boyfriend’s house and these sound like they’d blow his mom’s out of the water! (Hey, it’s true…)
These look outstanding. My Mom has been making a version of 7 Layer Cookies my entire life that she calls, Hello Dolly Bars. The addition of dulce de leche only makes these already delicious cookies even more over-the-top. I can’t wait to try these.
These look absolutely amazing! They are for sure going on my Christmas baking list. Thanks for sharing!
I tried the original recipe, but I’m having some problems. The graham cracker base had an awful lot of butter in it, so it was soupy, and now there’s a pool of it on the top of the cookies. I did add a little more crumbs to make it better, but I didn’t have a lot left. Any help, or is it supposed to be like this? (it smells amazing though)
Meaghan – While I didn’t make the original recipe, the tweaks I made wouldn’t have changed my personal experience with the base. I’m sorry your cookie base didn’t yield a good result, but without being there, it’s hard for me to guess what might have gone wrong. From my own experiences, I can only say that my graham cracker base wasn’t too buttery or soupy at all—the ratio of butter to graham cracker crumbs seemed just right and baked up even better than I expected, with no pooling of butter on the top layers.
If you’d like to try the cookies again, I would suggest double checking your butter amounts and/or using less butter, try cutting the amount down by a quarter to half, even down to a 1/4 cup if necessary—the consistency of the graham cracker crust & butter combination should yield a crumbly crust that’s neither too wet nor too dry—one that will press into a ball when squeezed together in your hands yet crumble apart when squeezed too much. Often when I bake, while I rely on proper ingredient ratios, I also rely on what I know the consistency should be and make adjustments as needed while baking (like you did, by adding more crushed graham crackers).
Again, I’m sorry you had trouble with these cookies. I do hope you’ll enjoy them enough to try them again. I’ve received many positive emails, notes, and tweets from readers who tried this recipe and had it yield fantastic results for them, so I’m not sure what the problem may be. I hope this helps.