7-Layer Magic Bars are what dessert dreams are made of! These bars consist of a graham cracker crust, sweet gooey coconut layer, chocolate and butterscotch chips, and crunchy pecans.
Magic Bars are a quick and easy dessert that are sure to blow your mind. The great thing about bar desserts is that they’re quicker to assemble, don’t require baking multiple batches, and you can cut them into any size or shape. For more yummy bar desserts, try my Cream Cheese Blondie Bars and Oatmeal Chocolate Fudge Chewies.
Magic Bars
These gorgeous squares are made with 7 simple ingredients and are full of texture and flavor. The great thing about these bars is that the toppings can be swapped to create a whole new tasting dessert. Make it your own!
Ingredients for Magic Bars:
- Graham Cracker Crumbs– These can be purchased or you can make your own in a food processor, blender, or in a zip-lock bag with a rolling pin.
- Butter– I like to use salted butter for all my desserts but unsalted works too! This is what makes the crust stick together.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk– This liquid gold is what helps create the magic and glues everything together. I prefer Eagle Brand.
- Coconut– Shredded or flaked both work. Sweetened can be used but I find that the other ingredients provide enough sweetness.
- Butterscotch Chips– The butterscotch really adds to the magic. Feel free though to swap these out for a different flavor like white chocolate or peanut butter chips.
- Chocolate Chips– Semi-sweet is my go-to. Dark chocolate would be great too. Again, since there is already a lot of sugar from the condensed milk, I don’t recommend using milk chocolate.
- Nuts– My favorite type of nut to use in these i
How to make Magic Bars:
Time needed: 40 minutes
- Prep
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Make Crust
Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Layer
Pour condensed milk over crust.
Layer on the remaining ingredients in the following order- coconut, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and nuts. Press down with hands or a spatula.
- Bake
Bake for 30-32 minutes until top is light brown.
- Cool & Slice
Place on a cooling rack and cool completely. Lift out parchment paper and then cut into squares.
FAQs
No. I just highly recommend it to cut bar more easily and keep them pretty. If you don’t have parchment on hand, use foil and then grease well. Lifting your baked good out of the pan before cutting prevents damaging your pan with sharp knives or spatulas.
These are very different so it’s important to not confuse them. Sweetened condensed milk is milk with most of the water removed and a lot of sugar added. It has the consistency of caramel sauce and is very sweet. Evaporated milk is a shelf stable form of milk where about half of it’s water content has been removed but no sugars are added. It is similar to half-and-half cream.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE MAGIC COOKIE BARS:
- Parchment Paper– Lining baking pans makes removal of bars and cake easy so that one can cut it into nice even pieces and not damage the pan.
- Food Processor– Use this high power processor to chop and puree anything from graham crackers to salsa.
- 8×8 Inch Pan– This aluminized steel baking pan is great for making dessert bars!
LOOKING FOR MORE BAR DESSERTS? CHECK OUT THESE:
- The BEST Rice Krispie Treats
- Rocky Road Cookie Bars
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- 6-Ingredient Gooey Butter Cake
- Toll House Chocolate Chip Bars
Magic Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, (about 12 large crackers)
- 10 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped (pecans or walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Pour condensed milk over the top.
- Layer on the remaining ingredients in the following order- coconut, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and nuts. Press down with hands or a spatula.
- Bake for 30-32 minutes until top is light brown.
- Place on a cooling rack and cool completely. Lift out parchment paper and then cut into squares.
My mouth is watering looking at them!!!
I have never made these Melanie but whenever they are brought to potlucks I always have to have one!
So are you enjoying your ward? Are there other LDS medical students? I hope you have a good support system. I have such great memories of our time in medical school because of the amazing people we met and still keep in touch with today.
Judi 🙂
http://www.browneggsandjam@blogspot.com
Judi-
I love our ward! Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. There are 2 other LDS med students in Nick’s class. Both are married and each have one kid. We have become really close with both of them. We wives get together every week with our kids to go to the zoo or craft. There are quite a few other students in Nick’s class who are married and we have become close friends with a few of them too. We absolutely love it here!
These look amazing Melanie!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thanks Paige! I’m addicted to them.