Magic Cookie Bar Recipe | Life, Love and Sugar

Sometimes called Seven Layer Bars (or Hello Dolly Bars), this dessert has been around forever, and for a good reason. Made with seven of the best dessert ingredients out there, these magic cookie bars always make me think of that lyric from The Sound of Music, “These are a few of my favorite things.” The chocolate. The butterscotch. The pecans. The coconut! And the sweetened condensed milk holding it all together? It’s almost too good to be true! Plus, you get that classic graham cracker crust on the bottom. So good.

Dessert bars like these and my Frosted Sugar Cookies Bars are so quick to fly off the dessert table, and they’re super easy to throw together. Done in under an hour (aside from cooling time), they’re the perfect solution for that last-minute sweet tooth.

Why I Love This Magic Cookie Bar Recipe

Let me count the ways! Here are some of the best things about this gloriously simple dessert bar recipe:

• A little bit of everything. This recipe takes seven simple, well-loved ingredients and throws them together. The graham cracker crust from your favorite cheesecake, the chocolate chips from your favorite cookie, the coconut from those macaroons you crave…plus some. All of it in one awesome dessert!
• SO easy (and quick). Aside from mixing together the butter and graham cracker crumbs, all you have to do for this recipe is layer the ingredients on top of each other and bake. It doesn’t get much easier! Plus, it only takes 40 minutes (plus cooling time).
• Customizable. It’s super easy to swap out many of the ingredients in these bars for an alternative that better suits your taste buds. Check out the post below titled “Variation Ideas” for inspiration.

What You’ll Need

You’ll only need seven ingredients for this magic cookie bar recipe, and here they are. Have a look at the recipe card below for exact measurements.

• Graham cracker crumbs – I recommend using graham crackers and processing them into crumbs rather than using store-bought crumbs, which can lack flavor.
• Unsalted butter – Salted butter is also an option. It’ll break up the sweetness of this decadent dessert a bit. Unsalted is the more classic choice, though.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips will work just as well.
• Butterscotch chips – Not a butterscotch person? Try white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips!
• Chopped pecans – I love the sweet buttery flavor of pecans, but you could try chopped macadamia nuts or chopped walnuts instead.
• Shredded coconut – I prefer sweetened shredded coconut here, but unsweetened would also be fine.
• Sweetened condensed milk – The sweetened condensed milk really holds these bars together. Remember that it’s not the same as evaporated milk! Read those labels!

How to Make Magic Cookie Bars

Here’s a basic overview of how to make this magic cookie bar recipe. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper (leave some overhang).

• Bake. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool. Cool completely, remove from the pan, and cut into squares.

Tips for Success

This recipe is pretty much as simple as it gets. That being said, I do have some tips that’ll help you get the results you’re looking for:

• A note on parchment paper. I highly recommend leaving a little overhang on the parchment paper you use to line the pan. When the bars are done baking, you can use that overhang to lift them out of the pan. So easy!
• Even distribution. Make sure to carefully distribute each ingredient (layer) over the top of the dessert. You want some of everything in each bite.
• Add condensed milk last. Some people add the sweetened condensed milk first, then the toppings. Others do as I do and add the toppings then the milk. While you could go either way, the toppings stay in place better if you add the milk last.
• Cool completely. Allow the bars to cool completely before lifting them from the pan and cutting them into squares. If they are too warm/melty, you’ll end up with a mess.

Variation Ideas

This recipe is uber-flexible, with countless substitutions for every layer available to you. Here are some ideas:

• Try a different crust. Instead of a graham cracker crust, consider a Nilla wafer crust or an Oreo crust.
• Different chips. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, but you could easily swap one or the other for white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or even peanut butter chips!
• Nut swap. I will sometimes use macadamia nuts instead of pecans here. They go so well with the shredded coconut!

How to Store

• Storage. Seal the bars in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 1 week. You could also store them at room temperature for a few days (up to 5).
• Freezer. Store the leftover bars in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Otherwise, wrap individual bars in a double layer of plastic wrap. Either way, they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the magic cookie bars to thaw in the fridge before enjoying.

More Cookie Bar Recipes

Cookie bars have always been a hit in my house. To me, they’re easier than cookies and just as satisfying. Here are some other favorites for you to try: