Francesca's Gourmet Catering and Cafe
Seven Layers of Heaven

Yield: 48 small, thick bars

Ingredients

Shortbread

• 1/2 cup (about 2 1/2 ounce) hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate layer

• 16 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, such as Eagle brand
• Pinch of salt

Oatmeal-Hazelnut layer

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked oatmeal
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Remaining layers

• 1 (7 ounce) bag flaked coconut
• 1/2 (17 1/2 ounce) jar caramel sauce
• 1 (18 ounce) jar seedless raspberry jam
• 1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Creme

Instructions

Shortbread

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread nuts on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often; rub off the papery skins. Coarsely chop nuts and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1 1/2 sticks butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Combine butter, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and salt, and mix until small clumps form. Sprinkle mixture into 9 x 13 inch pan; pat evenly onto bottom and partway up sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown; set aside.

Chocolate Layer

1. Melt chocolate and butter together in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Stir in condensed milk and salt until smooth. Spread over shortbread crust.

Oatmeal-Hazelnut Layer

1. In a large bowl, cream together the 1 stick of butter and 1 cup brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract; cream again. Add 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, oatmeal, whole-wheat flour and toasted hazelnuts and mix gently. Add lemon zest and mix gently. Set aside.

Assembly

1. Sprinkle the evenly over the crust, then drizzle the half-jar of caramel sauce over the coconut. Stir jam to make it spreadable, then smooth it over the caramel sauce. In a microwave warm marshmallow creme, stirring occasionally to make it spreadable, then smooth it over the jam.
2. Using fingers, crumble spoon-size pieces of hazelnut-oatmeal mixture on top of cr me; do not completely cover top - allow other layers to bubble through. (Leftover mixture can be made into drop cookies, baked on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes).
3. Bake bars for 10 to 15 minutes, turning pan several times as it bakes.
4. Cool completely.
5. Use hot knife to cut.

Attribution

Francis McGinnis - Francesca's Gourmet Catering and Cafe