Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (2024)

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Is anything more classic for the holidays (or you know, a Monday morning with a coffee) than deliciousMagic Cookie Bars, also known as Hello Dolly Bars? These condensed milk and chocolate layer bars are so easy to make and are always a crowd favorite!

Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (1)

How to Make Magic Cookie Bars

Magic cookie bars are the original 7 layer bar, even though they don’t technically have 7 layers. The original bar has 6 layers and people have adapted them into 7 layer bars over the years. The original magic cookie bars don’t have butterscotch or extras (hey, not that those don’t make the bars better!) but I wanted to provide you guys with the basic, old a heck, classic magic cookie bar recipe that started it all!

Making magic cookie bars is as easy as 1,2,3!

  1. Press the crumb base into the bottom of the pan.
  2. Place all of the ingredients into the pan in the correct order.
  3. Bake, then cool and slice.

Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (2)

How to Freeze Magic Cookie Bars

Magic cookie bars freeze perfectly but there is a trick to it because they are slightly ooey and gooey, so they take an extra step to freeze.

  • Cut the magic bars into the size that you want to freeze them.
  • Place the cookie bars onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Freeze them until they are solid.
  • Place the bars into a container and layer them between parchment paper to ensure that they don’t stick together.
  • Cover the container and freezer for up to 3 months.

Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (3)

Why these are also known as Hello Dolly bars I am not quite sure, but they were invented in the 1960’s and started out as Hello Dolly Bars. They are the exact same thing as magic cookie bars, just differently named.

More Cookie Bar Recipes

  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
  • Butter Tart Bars
  • Lemon Bars

These are super sweet and awesome cookie bars, enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (4)

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Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (5)

Magic Cookie Bars

Is anything more classic than deliciousMagic Cookie Bars? These condensed milk and chocolate coconut layer bars are so easy to make and are always a crowd favorite!

4.89 from 27 votes

Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (6)

Review

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Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Servings
20
Calories
247
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup salted butter melted
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • one 14 ounces can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
  • 1 cup chopped nuts'

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 350° F, or to 325 °F if you are using a glass dish.

  • Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper and set aside for later.

  • Combine the graham cracker crumbs and the salted butter until the graham crumbs are moistened with the butter throughout.

  • Press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared prepared pan.

  • Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the graham crumb crust.

  • Sprinkle even layers of the chocolate chips, coconut and the nuts, making sure they are mixed on the top evenly. ( you want a little of each all over the place)

  • Press these down firmly with the back of a spoon into the condensed milk ( but don't break through to the crust.!)

  • Bake for 25 minutes in your preheated oven or until lightly browned all over. If you notice the top browning too fast you can cover with tinfoil for a few minutes and keep baking. Remove and cool.

  • Cool the bars completely before slicing.

  • Cut into bars or diamonds.

  • Store covered at room temperature or in a closed container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 247kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 86mg, Potassium: 169mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 150IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1.8mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a co*cktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

Site Index Bars and squares Christmas Christmas baking Vintage recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments & Recipe Tips Share a tip or comment!

  1. Terre says

    Reply

    I’ve been looking for the vegan version of this recipe, which I still haven’t found. This recipe is really easy to veganize though. Can’t wait to try them. Thank you!Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (11)

  2. Lynn says

    Reply

    My daughter made these today and they were not only scrumptious but easy and will be lovely to serve. Thank you so much for all the extra tips in the instructions. Great recipe. Will definitely make again.Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (12)

  3. Janet says

    Reply

    I think the pan is too large, too thin of a bar. I used dark chips and only half the required amount, family found them too sweet.Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (13)

  4. Jess M says

    Reply

    I just made these for my husband with semi sweet chips, honey roasted peanuts and Biscoff cookies for the base.
    Oh my gosh it’s so delicious, thank you so much for this wonderfully easy recipe!Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (14)

  5. betcclic.com says

    Reply

    I learn to cooks soup recipes by watching youtube videos

  6. Kay says

    Reply

    I have been making them every Christmas for years, this is the first time I have poured the condensed milk in first. waiting for them to cool the check out the result 🙂Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (15)

  7. Dori says

    Reply

    I’ve been making these since I was a teenager, back when they were called Hello. Dolly bars. To reply to some of the other comments, I use a 13×9” pan, putting the sweetened condensed milk on top of the graham crackers doesn’t make them more moist, it actually makes them drier, put the sweetened condensed milk on top, makes for a much moister cookie bar. These are my granddaughters favorite, make them for her every Christmas.

  8. Sheila P says

    Reply

    I have never seen this recipe where you pour the sweet condensed milk over the graham crumbs!! All the recipes I’ve seen add it at the end, on top of everything else. This makes so much more sense. This way, the milk bubbles up through everything to hold it together, and doesn’t brown so quickly. Thank you!

  9. Joy Wilson says

    Reply

    can I use unsalted butter. that’s what I have on hand.

    • Karlynn Johnston says

      Reply

      Yes, just add a sprinkle of salt to the recipe

  10. Candace says

    Reply

    Did you use a 9×9 pan?

    • Judy says

      Reply

      What size pan?

  11. susan gortva says

    Reply

    i used to really love these. can’t believe all the goodies I ate

    • Dawn says

      Reply

      We call these Simple Simon’s and have been making them since the 60’s. This was in the church cookbook my mother helped put together. Butterscotch chips were in the recipe and the condensed milk was poured on top of everything. So I guess our Simple Simon’s are the 7 layer bars

Leave a Comment or Recipe Tip

Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are magic bars made of? ›

Traditional Magic Bars, also known as Hello Dolly Bars or 7 Layer Bars, are a layered dessert bar with a crumbly graham cracker crust, then topped with layers of butterscotch, coconut, chocolate, and nuts. Everything sticks together from gooey sweetened condensed milk that caramelizes on top when baked.

Should you refrigerate magic bars? ›

Store the magic cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.

What can you do with sweetened condensed milk? ›

Sweetened-condensed milk is the perfect addition to all kinds of treats and recipes, from pies to fudge to tres leches cake. But in Vietnamese coffee culture, it has a much more important purpose – it's mixed into strong coffee to make delicious, traditional Vietnamese brew.

How long to cool bar cookies before cutting? ›

Make sure cookies are completely cool in order to get best results when cutting them, regardless of whether or not you line the baking pan with foil or simply grease the pan. You can go one step further to get clean cuts by freezing bars or brownies in the pan for two hours or overnight before cutting.

Is condensed milk the same as evaporated milk? ›

Both are concentrated, shelf-stable milk products that have been heated until at least 60 percent of their water content has evaporated. The main difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk is that evaporated milk is unsweetened while condensed milk is sweetened.

Why are they called Hello Dolly bars? ›

The Hello Dolly name is a reference to the Broadway musical "Hello, Dolly!" which was a popular musical when these bars were created in the mid-1960s. The bars are assembled in seven layers, and they are incredibly delicious.

How long do cookie bars stay fresh? ›

Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months. Moist bars, such as cheesecake and lemon bars, can be refrigerated for seven days.

How many graham crackers make 1 1/2 cups? ›

12 graham crackers should yield about 1.5 cups of crumbs when they're finely ground, or about 180g. (12x15g) 1 full sheet graham cracker = 14–16g, or about ½ an ounce.

How to harden graham cracker crust? ›

Baked graham cracker crust:Baking allows for the butter and sugar to bind to the point that the crust is sure to hold together. I find that baked graham cracker crusts yield the best result. To bake the crust, place it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Can you drink straight sweetened condensed milk? ›

Can I drink sweetened condensed milk? It is a ready-to-use product so it may be consumed without any other preparation. You can add it to everyday items like in your coffee, on toast with cinnamon, on fruit or yogurt, and in any way you see fit.

Can you whip sweetened condensed milk? ›

The trick to turning sweetened condensed canned milk into whipped cream is chilling the equipment that's used to beat the milk into cream. While whipping the milk, sit the bowl in an ice water bath to keep it cold. It doesn't hurt to turn on the air conditioning or whip the cream in front ...

Why is condensed milk not advisable? ›

Because condensed milk is more concentrated than the same volume of regular milk, it contains more lactose. Sweetened condensed milk includes a lot of calories, but it also has a lot of saturated fat, which is dangerous for people with diabetes and heart issues.

Why are my cookie bars raw in the middle? ›

Bar cookies baked in insulated baking pans often don't brown well. Try baking bars longer than called for in your recipe. Realize that most published recipes are not developed using insulated pans. Ideally, only bake one baking pan of bar cookies at a time, placing it on a rack in the middle of the oven.

What happens if you leave cookies on the pan after removing them from the oven? ›

Most cookie recipes, like thumbprint cookies, sugar cookie cutouts, shortbread, and snickerdoodles instruct you to cool cookies on a rack. This is because when cookies are left to cool on a hot-from-the-oven baking sheet, they continue to bake and can become overdone in a flash.

Why do my cookies get hard after they cool? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

Do Magic bars have nicotine? ›

Magic Bar Max 4000 to a new level! Airflow adjustable supports both MTL and DTL vaping while rechargeable battery and big capacity. It has 650mAh battery and 20mg nicotine strength.

What are cereal bars made of? ›

A cereal bar is a bar-shaped food product, made by pressing cereals and usually dried fruit or berries, which are in most cases held together by glucose syrup. Consumers choose cereal bars as an alternative to the less-healthy snacks, a quick source of energy before a workout, or a substitute for a meal.

What is magic layer bar ice cream? ›

Magic Layer Bar™ swirls chewy coconut and graham cracker crumbles into a French custard flavored ice cream with a smooth ganache swirl.

Are Magic Bar Vapes good? ›

Magic Bar vapes offer a variety of flavors and nicotine strengths, catering to a wide range of preferences. This makes them a popular choice among both new and experienced vapers.

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