Lake Okoboji and 7 Layer Bars
Vacation Village was one of the highlights of my summers when I was growing up. Located on the shores of Lake Okoboji the small cottages with paper thin walls, kitchenettes and quick access to the beach seemed to be the epitome of luxury.
Our Dad worked for the Farmer’s Coop and Land O’Lakes sponsored our family’s stay while the men went to seminar style meetings. It was a fantastic benefit for employees. We had our meals provided and they had kids activities, a talent show and a dance night where we all learned to do the hokey pokey. Unfortunately these were the days before video cameras, so you won’t get to see the talent show production of, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing”, by me and my brothers!
The drive to Lake Okoboji seemed an eternity as a kid. Mom would pack the car with snacks then Scott, Chad and I would receive the threatening talk of, “behave or we will turn this car around!” Sometimes we would be broken up and one of us (usually me), would get to ride up with our grandparents. Several times we even took a babysitter with us so that our parents could go out at night without fear we would get in the lake by ourselves. Chad was afraid of the water and perpetually wore a life jacket, but once when he went missing we had a resort-wide search for him before he was found on the playground.
Next week I’m headed to Table Rock Lake with my brothers and their wives while Rick holds down the fort here. The brother that was scared of the water now owns a really nice Cobalt and we get to spend a few days floating around the lake. While I was thinking about this trip with them, I thought about the treats my Mom would make when we went to Lake Okoboji and seven layer bars popped into my mind.
I’m sure I have the recipe in her handwriting somewhere, but I figured it out from an old recipe book. I never liked that she put pecans on top, as like most kids I didn’t like nuts. However this winter my new daughter-in-law to be, Emily, brought a jar of candied pecans to me and I started thinking about how delicious those would be on the bars.
So when we leave this week we will have an elevated version of seven layer bars with us. We get to remember my Mom, but I also know that she would heartily approve of Emily’s addition to a family favorite!
7 Layer Bars
Crust: 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, ¾ cup sugar, 1 stick butter melted.
Combine and press into the bottom of a cookie sheet with sides. Bake for 10 minutes.
Layer on the following (and honestly measurements are just a suggestion)
1 cup coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup carmel bits
1 diced chocolate bar with toffee bits
Candied pecans
Drizzle on one can of sweetened condensed milk
Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Cool and cut. Best stored cold as they are pretty melty in the summer!
Candied pecans
(large recipe — I cut the recipe and only used 2 oz for the bars, but 4 oz would have been better!)
Whip two egg whites with two tablespoons of water until stiff
Fold in 2 lbs of pecans (I used pecan bits for the bars)
Mix these dry ingredients.
1 ½ cups of sugar
4 tsp of cinnamon
1 ½ tsp of allspice
2 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp ginger
2 tsp coriander
Mix all together coating pecans evenly. Spread on baking sheets and bake at 250 for 90 minutes stirring every 30 minutes or so. Cool and store in airtight containers.
