Recipe of the week

As requested by a number of people at my office and elsewhere, after I made them for a few recent festivities...one of my mom's bar cookie recipes that I loved as a kid.

French Bar Cookies
1st Layer:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 square unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp vanilla
Cook above ingredients over very low heat until blended, stirring constantly.

1 egg beaten
Add to above and stir about five minutes. This will thicken slightly as it cooks.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup loosely packed moist coconut
Add to above. Line a 9X13 pan with aluminum foil (bottom and sides, these stick like gangbusters otherwise). Pat the crust into the pan. Cool at least fifteen minutes before adding the 2nd layer.

2nd layer:
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsps. instant vanilla pudding mix
3 Tbsp milk
2 cups powdered sugar
Have ingredients at room temp and beat until smooth. Spread over bottom layer. Chill until solid.

3rd layer:
4 squares of semisweet chocolate
1 generous Tbsp butter
Melt together over very low heat. Quickly and gently frost the second layer. Score the top layer and chill. (The pre-cutting makes it possible to get them out of the pan later without breaking, as they get quite solid when cold.) Return bars to room temp before cutting and serve.