No bowl is required for these wonderfully gooey Magic Cookie Bars. These delicious treats, also called 7-layer bars, come together easily with mostly pantry ingredients.
This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated.
Magic cookie bars are just that... magic! These bars have multiple layers of heavenly goodness held together by sweetened condensed milk.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Magical pantry staple. Sweetened condensed milk is the most magical pantry staple. It's rich and creamy and lends a wonderful gooeyness to baked goods.
- No mixing bowl is required. The graham cracker crust is formed in the pan and the toppings are layered on top.
- Very flexible recipe. Swap chocolate grahams for the honey ones and use any variety of chocolate chips you prefer. Omit nuts if desired.
- Makes a large (9x13) pan. Perfect for parties, potlucks, bake sales, or to keep on hand for school lunches or after-school treats.
For more delicious bar recipes, try Butterscotch bars, Milky Way blondies, and Peanut butter s'mores bars.
Ingredients
- Graham cracker crumbs combined with melted butter form the crust. I use honey grahams, but you can use chocolate grahams for extra decadence.
- Chocolate chips - Use any variety of baking chips you love - semi-sweet, dark, milk, and white. Butterscotch and peanut butter chips are great too! You need 2 cups total.
- Chopped nuts are optional. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds are great in these bars.
- Shredded coconut adds wonderful texture and flavor.
- Sweetened condensed milk is the most magical pantry staple. It's rich and creamy and holds all of the yummy toppings together.
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Step-by-step instructions
See the recipe card for complete instructions and ingredient amounts.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the butter in the baking dish and put the dish in the oven. The butter will melt as the oven preheats. Remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter.
- Stir together to mix all of the crumbs with the butter. Press the crumbs into an even layer.
- Top with shredded coconut and chopped nuts. Feel free to reserve some coconut and nuts to sprinkle over the top right before baking.
- Add the chocolate and white chips. Then, drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly browned around the edges.
Expert Tips
- These bars are a great way to use up partial bags of chocolate chips and nuts. Any mixture can be used.
- Melt the butter in the baking dish while the oven preheats. Place the stick of butter in the dish and put the dish in the oven. The butter will melt slowly as the oven preheats. This saves having to wash a separate bowl.
- Add a festive touch with seasonal sprinkles or M&M candies.
- Let the bars cool and set up before slicing. You can refrigerate them to speed up this process.
Storing and freezing
The bars can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. If refrigerated, the bars will keep for a few days longer.
To freeze, cool the bars completely. Cut into squares and store in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 2 months.
Try these easy sweet treat recipes next
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📖 Recipe Card
Magic Cookie Bars (7 layer bars)
No bowl required for these wonderfully gooey Magic Cookie Bars. These delicious treats, also called 7-layer bars, come together easily with mostly pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups graham crackers crumbs (see notes)
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¾ cup dark chocolate morsels
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- ½ cup white chocolate morsels
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Meanwhile, add the butter to a 9x13 baking dish. Place the dish in the oven to melt the butter while the oven preheats. When butter is melted, add the graham cracker crumbs and stir to combine. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan. (Alternatively, add melted butter and graham cracker crumbs to a bowl and mix to combine. Pour the crumb mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and press evenly over the bottom of the pan.)
- Spread the coconut and nuts over the crust, reserving some for the top. Spread the chocolate and white chips evenly over the top. Then, pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the chips. Top with reserved coconut and nuts.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Cool the bars until set before cutting into bars. You can chill the bars to speed up this process.
Notes
Graham crackers: 2 cups graham cracker crumbs is equivalent to about 28 square graham crackers. Add the crackers to a food processor and pulse until the crackers resemble fine crumbs.
Optional add-ins: Add a festive touch with seasonal sprinkles or M&M candies.
Nutrition
Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 226IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific ingredients used.
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Beverly
Hi Abbey so when I melt my butter in the microwave an I try to spread it out fir some reason its greasy dnt know if its the butter or what when i mix the graham cracker crumbs w the butter
Abbey
Hi Beverly,
The butter and graham cracker crumb mixture will feel a little greasy because the butter is melted. Once topped with the other ingredients and baked, it will form a crust. Using too much butter could cause a more greasy consistency.