Put some extra magic in your holiday

"She looks like an overgrown kewpie. She sings like a mood-mad hillbilly. Her dancing is crazily comic." That's how Life magazine described the legendary star, the late Carol Channing.

A Tony Award winner, the first celebrity to perform at a Super Bowl halftime show, a Democrat who regarded her inclusion on Richard Nixon's enemies list as the highest honor of her career, and the actress who gave Clint Eastwood his first onscreen kiss, she was among the most unique performers in the history of show business.

But she will always be most remembered for her role in the musical Hello, Dolly!, a part she played some 5000 times over her career. At its closing, the show was the longest running musical in Broadway history.

When I think of Carol Channing, however, I think of holiday cookies. That's because my favorite cookie, which I tried for the first time when my wife made it during our first holiday season as a married couple, is the Hello, Dolly!

There's no inherent connection between the musical and the cookie, but food writer Clementine Paddleford published a similar recipe under that name (sent to her by an 11-year old who said she got it from her grandmother) when the show was at its height. Thus, the musical apparently inspired the name of the cookie and both became hits. Carol Channing, who once worked at the bakery counter at Macy's, surely approved.

The magic ingredient in Hello Dolly! Bars is sweetened condensed milk, here combined with caramelized white chocolate and poured over the other ingredients to make a showstopper version of the classic holiday treat.Submitted by Tom Harte

But the same recipe could also be found under the name Magic Cookie Bars on the backs of cans of Eagle Brand milk, which is appropriate since Eagle Brand, or sweetened condensed milk, is the magic ingredient that is essential to the recipe.

Gail Borden, the Father of the Modern Dairy Industry, didn't exactly invent sweetened condensed milk. But Borden pioneered methods of industrial production of the product, and his Eagle Brand milk was a needed alternative to fresh milk in an era when sanitary standards and lack of refrigeration made the latter risky.

Once standards were tightened and refrigeration became more prevalent, fresh milk became preferable, as condensed milk could not compete with it, but thanks to clever rebranding, condensed milk came to be appreciated in its own right as a useful cooking ingredient, especially in all kinds of desserts. For example, without it what would Florideans do with all those Key limes?

But condensed milk isn't the only thing magical about Hello, Dolly! bars. They couldn't be easier to make, not even requiring a mixing bowl, and are endlessly variable. You can change the crust (graham crackers, shortbread, vanilla wafers, or my favorite, cornflake crumbs), the layers (white or dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee bar chips, nuts of any kind) and even the condensed milk (by mixing it with chocolate or using the dulce de leche version.)

So put some extra magic on your holiday table this year with your own personalized version of Hello, Dolly! bars. Your guests will agree, in the words of Carol Channing's Dolly, that's back where they belong.

Part of the magic of Hello Dolly! Bars is that the recipe is endlessly variable. Here roasted white chocolate, caramel corn, peanuts, and toffee bars augment the usual chocolate chips and coconut to make a showstopper version.Submitted by Tom Harte

Showstopper Hello, Dolly! Bars

This mile-high version of the Hello, Dolly! Bar inspired by a recipe from "The Good Book of Southern Baking" by Kelly Fields and Kate Heddings, uses an ingredient I've never before seen in such recipes, popcorn, which I've upgraded to caramel corn. It also calls for combining the sweetened condensed milk binder with caramelized or roasted white chocolate. It's not all that difficult to make yourself, but you can find it at specialty food shops. I've opted for a cornflake crumb crust as well.

• 1 stick butter
• 1-1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
• 2 cans (14-ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
• 5 ounces caramelized white chocolate
• 3 cups caramel corn
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 cups salted peanuts
• 2 cups chopped toffee bars
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

Melt butter, combine with cornflake crumbs, and press evenly in the bottom of greased 9x13 inch pan. Over low heat, melt condensed milk and caramelized white chocolate and set aside. Toss together caramel corn, chocolate chunks, peanuts, toffee bars, and coconut. Distribute evenly over crust. Evenly pour on top condensed milk mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until edges are slightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars.