Cinnamon white chocolate, Cranberry Bars

This is just a basic 7 Layer Bar--on steroids! It's amazing what happens when one adds cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries to a simple recipe. Every bite contains a surprise. This is one delicious bar!

I made this bar twice--the first time I used the instructions on a popular blog. My results were less than stellar. The recipe had you drizzle the sweetened condensed milk on top of the crust. then add the toppings and baked it. The recipe was good but not great. The crust was soggy. I knew this recipe could work. It is a popular recipe with many great variations.
So I went to my Americas Test Kitchen, The Best American Classics Cookbook. A variation of this recipe is pulled apart and made wonderful. I used the technique in the ATK cookbook applied it to this recipe and it turned out just the way I wanted it. I love ATK cookbooks. I always wonder why things do or do not work in cooking/baking. My questions are always answered. I own several ATK cookbook and consider each one a treasure. If you read cookbooks like novels--as I do these are the cookbooks for you!
So here is the ATK version with some seasonal twists. I have my good friend Carol to thank for this recipe. She brought me a plate of these and the search began!

Cinnamon, White Chocolate Cranberry Layer Bars
1 cup sweetened coconut
8 tablespoons butter
8 whole graham crackers, 4 ounces, crushed (Place the crackers in a large zipper lock bag and pound them with a smooth mallet. The result should be an assortment of crumbs, bits and chunks that measure about 1 1/2 cup.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup cinnamon chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with foil, spray again. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake until the outer flakes just begin to brown, about 8 minutes (don't multitask on this one, coconut burns easily! I know.) At the same time place the stick of butter in the 9x13 inch pan. Put it in the oven for about 6 minutes and let the butter melt (I guess this is multitasking, just be careful)!
When the butter is melted remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter. Toss lightly until all the butter is absorbed and the crumbs are evenly distributed. In order sprinkle the nuts, white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, coconut and dried cranberries over the crust. Pour the entire contents of the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the dish. Return to the oven and bake until top is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack at least 2 hours. Remove from pan, remove foil and cut into bars.

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