{Recipe} Vegan Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Cookie Bars (also known by some as) 7 Layer Bars were a Christmas staple of my childhood. I remember making them every year and still have the original recipe taped in an old cook book of my mom's.  The 7 Layer bars used a variety of chips but my favorite way of making them is with just chocolate chips.

 I wanted to try and veganize them so I replaced butter with coconut oil and the sweetened condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk.  I also used unsweetened flaked coconut instead of sweetened shredded coconut.  Since the recipe already called for coconut, I figured the added coconut products would only enhance the flavor of the bars and I was right.

 Dare I say that this version is BETTER than the original?!  They sure are irresistible and why we only make it once a year(twice this Christmas season!).

 Vegan Magic Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (make sure they are vegan)

1 (11.25oz) can sweetened condensed coconut milk (I used Nature's Charm brand)

1 cup dairy free chocolate chips

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

To make:

Preheat oven 350 F (325F for a glass dish). In 13 x 9 inch baking pan melt coconut oil in oven.  Remove pan from oven (but keep oven on).

Sprinkle crumbs over melted coconut oil, pour sweetened condensed coconut milk evenly over crumbs. Top evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly. Return pan to oven.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill thoroughly in fridge and remove to cut into bars.  Store in fridge or in airtight container (if they last!)

Enjoy!

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{Project 365} Days 327-351

This project is finally winding down and I can see the finish line!!  Hope you're having a fun start to your week!!

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Merry Christmas 2015

From our family to yours....sending you all this virtual holiday card and wishing you a magical Christmas!!

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{Project 365} Days 302-326

{Late October-November days}...apple picking, Halloweening, Target shopping, sunflower photo shoots, acorn squash, Charlie Brown performances, working at the school store,pie making, fresh balsam candle, finding a covered bridge, band gigs and Christmas lights....

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Holiday Home Tour 2015 - Part 2

Welcome back to my holiday home tour 2015. If you missed Part 1, you can catch up here.

Here's a peek into the family room from the living room.  I was hosting book club, so the house was all decorated and ready for a party.

And a shot from the kitchen.

This year I added wreaths to two of the kitchen chairs and tied them with black and white gingham ribbon.

I felt like the kitchen needed some more festive flair.

Working on the Christmas cards from the kitchen table.

I really love the gingham ribbon!

This year's Christmas Chalk art (inspiration and WAY better version found here).

I tied some of the gingham ribbon around the antique scale and created this little holiday nook on the kitchen counter.  The teapot, tray, scale, marble cheese board and cloche were all thrifted.  Do you know the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks? I always pull them out during the holidays for recipe inspiration.  Most of them are thrift finds as well!

Above the microwave, I added another favorite holiday cookbook, a winter scene terrarium and a countdown to Christmas chalkboard (this was a few days ago..we're down to 7 days if you're counting!).

Also new in the kitchen this year is a sweet kitchen table vignette.  It started with the chalkboard "Let It Snow" tag and the red truck.  I picked them up at Michael's along with the larger snowy tree.  The pompoms are from Ikea and I had the bottle brush trees and the mama and baby deer in my stash. Instructions for the Baker's Twine wrapped tree can be found here.

I just found these awesome plaid plates at Pier 1 the other day.  I keep switching out the top plate to reveal a different plaid pattern. #madforplaid #plaidcrazy

Just off the kitchen is our den and other front entry.  The lighted Christmas village is in the den, they've had a quite a blizzard this year in the village.

In the powder room off of the den, I've displayed some of our previous Christmas cards. Where has the time gone?

Heading upstairs now to the master bedroom.  The only thing that has changed is the wall color...oh how I love this wall color!!(Benjamin Moore's Newportbury Blue). The wreath really sparkles above the bed and the room has a gorgeous glow when just the Christmas lights are twinkling.

Speaking of twinkling, I decorated College Girl's tree while she was away at school so she'd have a nice surprise when she got home.

Finally, we head down to the basement. We've got our Disney tree down there and it's always the first one I put up every year (usually right before Thanksgiving).   If you're still with me, thank you for making it through the whole tour and being a faithful blog reader!!  I so appreciate each and every one of you who stops by, leaves a comment or just gives me a "like" on Instagram (I'm@heather_ourlife). I plan on taking some time off from blogging over the next two weeks but I'm sure I'll pop in with a blog post or two.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday!!

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Linking up with:
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Holiday Home Tour 2015- Part 1

Today I'm sharing some of our holiday decorations around the house.  Things don't change that  much from year to year but I do add in a few new pieces and change it up a little. 

 {2014} {2013} {2011}

The first stop on the tour is our living room.  The electric candelabras on the piano are from Ikea.

We put our white tree in there and decorate it with blue and silver ornaments.   

My Woodland Creature Snowy Ornaments are on there too. 

I think it's my favorite tree and I love to photograph it.

My Starbucks Cup Angels 2.0 hang out on the piano. 

{Original Starbucks Cup Angels}

This year I added a thrifted copper tray and some snow people mugs that we got as a Christmas gift one year.   Copper seems to be the hot color this year in Christmas decor. Have you noticed that too?

The view from the living room into our entry and foyer.  The room we're looking into is the dining room.  Remember my No-Sew Hemming Ikea Curtains?

In the foyer we have our tallest tree.  It was a hand me down from my parents. I call this one my "snowy" tree and decorate with snow related ornaments and anything white, silver, gold or sparkly. 

{Staircase Gallery Wall}

Peeking down the stairs at the foyer tree and into the living room.

From the foyer, we enter the dining room. This year I added a bunch of red taper candles from Ikea to our table.

My Paris Postcard Garland went back up this year on the mirror over the buffet.  So easy!

I was excited to get my Christmas china out this year. I don't think I unpacked it last year since we were going to be in Paris for Christmas. #oolala

The sparkly Season's Greeting sign is new-ish.  We visit a huge Christmas store every year and pick out a new ornament or decoration (the girls each have their own trees). I have so many ornaments that I've started to pick out other types of decorations like this sign.

My holiday wine glasses are a lot of fun! I won them in our family's annual Cut Throat Christmas game one year.

The extra Paris postcards are stacked on my Nate Berkus mini plates (thrifted) and a little bird is watching over them.

As we head out of the dining room and back into the foyer, you can catch a glimpse of another tree (and a close up of the snowy tree).

I've started wrapping gifts and putting them under our foyer tree.  We found these French gift tags last year in Paris and I couldn't wait to use them.  

This ends Part 1 of the tour. I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the house.  

{Part 2}

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Linking up with:

Inspire Me Tuesday
Cooking and Crafting with J & J

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