Green Week and a Tray Bake

This week, I am dubbing GREEN WEEK! I am going to share any and all things Irish leading up to one of my favorite days spent with my family. 

Today, I am sharing a recipe that has many variations in the US, but in Ireland is known as tray bake. It is one of those thrown together desserts that requires very little mixing and measuring, and is very easily thrown together.

It is graham cracker crust with a a variety of toppings and drizzled with condensed milk.

Today, I will be making a version based on this recipe that I recently saw on a fabulous Irish Cooking Blog, called Wee Kitchen. This is one of those sites that imediately makes me want to hop a flight to the Emerald Isle and see the house where my Great Grandmother was born, drink tea, and have a bowl of Irish stew. If you think Irish Cuisine is all things boiled, take a look at this site and see how diverse and wonderful it is.

Cherry Almond, and Chocolate Tray Bake

1 1/2 cups graham crackers crushed into crumbs
1/2 cup butter melted and cooled
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and brown sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips, almonds, and cherries in an even layer on top of graham cracker base. Finally, drizzle condensed milk over the top evenly.

Bake for 18 – 22 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool, cut, and serve. If it is still a little warm it is good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.