Grizzlenuckles

Grizzlenuckles sound mysterious, but they’re one of the easiest cookie bars you’ll ever make. Four ingredients stirred together, poured into a pan, baked for 20 minutes, and dusted with powdered sugar. That’s the whole recipe.

Sweetened condensed milk is the binder and sweetener in one. It holds the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chocolate chips together into a dense, chewy bar that’s somewhere between a magic bar and a blondie. No eggs, no butter, no flour beyond what’s already in the graham crumbs.

The texture is fudgy and slightly sticky when warm, then firms up into a chewy, sliceable bar as it cools. The powdered sugar dusted on top adds a sweet, snowy finish and keeps the bars from sticking to each other when stacked.

Pro Tips

• Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting. Warm bars crumble and fall apart. Cold bars slice cleanly with a sharp knife.
• Grease the pan well. The condensed milk caramelizes on the bottom and sticks aggressively to an ungreased surface. Parchment paper with a little overhang makes removal even easier.
• Don’t overbake. At 20 minutes they’ll still look slightly underdone in the center. They set up as they cool. Overbaked grizzlenuckles turn hard and dry.
• Use unsweetened coconut if you find the bars too sweet. The condensed milk already provides plenty of sugar.

Variations

• Peanut butter grizzlenuckles: Swirl a few tablespoons of peanut butter into the mixture before baking for a nutty, Reese’s-like flavor.
• Butterscotch version: Swap the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips for a caramel-coconut combination.