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Home » Best Dessert Recipes » Magic Cookie Bars (7 Layer Bars)

May 13, 2011 Updated: May 20, 2020

Magic Cookie Bars (7 Layer Bars)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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These magic bars are 7 layers of your favorite cookie fillings, such as chocolate, butterscotch, nuts and shredded coconut, with a delicious graham cracker crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk over top for a magical caramelized finish!

Click here to SAVE this Magic Bars recipe!

Seven Layer Bars2I've been in a really good mood lately.  Not that it's completely out of the norm, but I've currently had numerous days in a row where I've been uplifted and ready to conquer the world.  (In my book, "conquer the world" means getting things done around the house.)   🙂

More insight into my character:  When I'm in a bad mood, I like to eat.  When I'm in a good mood, I like to bake.  Funny how they can go hand in hand.  My recent good mood brought about these seven-layer bars (also known as Magic Bars), and fortunately it didn't take a bad mood for me to eat them.  Yes, almost all of them.  It got so bad that I had to wrap them up and send the rest to Ben's work.  Although, he forgot them so I ended up eating them anyway.  Darn <snap>!

You see, these are Ben's all-time favorite dessert bar that dates way back to his childhood.  He might claim in the fall season that pumpkin bars are his favorite, but there is no question he places these coconut/chocolate/butterscotch squares even above those.  You might call me a bad wife for not making these for him more often, but the first time I attempted them, I used a recipe that didn't turn out so well.  So you can understand why I put them on the backburner.

Seven Layer BarsThen, my new cookbook I ordered from Amazon, The New Best Recipe, came to my rescue.  This was the first recipe I decided to try in the book, and it did not let us down.  The bars turned out beautifully in presentation, and scrumptious in taste.  The chocolate and butterscotch chips held their shape, which allowed a good balance of crunch in each bite.  I was tempted to leave out the walnuts, but they blended into the succulent graham cracker crust and added just the right amount of nuttiness that didn't interfere with the texture, like they do with brownies.  The next best thing about these?  Now Ben and I share a favorite dessert bar.  What a happy ending.

Note:  The Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies I posted last December has many of the same ingredients as these Seven Layer Bars.   I'd love to encourage you to try these cookies, as well, and maybe add butterscotch and white chocolate chips to them.  I'm going to do the same!

Seven-Layer Bars (or Magic Bars)

Printable Recipe

Yield: 18 bars

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
9 graham crackers, crushed
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup butterscotch chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350˚F with the oven rack adjusted to the lower-middle position.  Butter a 9- x 13-inch pan and line with parchment paper so that there is overhang that will help in easy removal of the baked bars.

Spread the coconut flakes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the outer flakes just begin to brown, about 8 minutes; set aside.  Meanwhile, heat the stick of butter in the lined baking pan in the oven, until completely melted.

Remove the pan from the oven and take turns tipping each side so that the butter spreads evenly across the bottom.  Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter and toss until the butter is absorbed and the crumbs are evenly distributed.  In order, sprinkle the walnuts, semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and coconut over the graham cracker crumbs.  Pour the condensed milk evenly over the top.

Return the pan to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.  Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment overhang.  Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2 x 3-inch bars.  If the bars are still soft and falling apart, cool in the refrigerator until firm before continuing to cut.

Source:  The New Best Recipe

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About Seeded At The Table

Thanks for visiting! We’re the Gladd family! We love donuts, Disney, LEGO and Jesus. Not in that order, of course. 🙂 Ben shares DIY wood-working projects and Nikki shares delicious recipes. You’ll also find a sprinkling of travel adventures and other family fun ideas!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue Gladd says

    November 04, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    I know what I'm going to make for the Waterfowl guests at our house this week!

    Reply
  2. Nadia says

    December 09, 2011 at 12:37 pm

    I've always called them hello dollies, I've made them since I was little and love them they're so delicious!!

    Reply
  3. Shelly says

    December 08, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    I call them 7 layer magic bars! I also call them yummy!

    Reply
  4. nancyc says

    December 06, 2011 at 8:38 am

    Mmm. addictive. We called the Hello Dollys - completely forgot that!

    Reply
  5. Nikki says

    December 01, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    When we were kids none of us knew these were 7 layer bars because we always just called the "Jesus Cookies".

    Reply
  6. Brandy says

    June 30, 2011 at 12:47 pm

    I am from Texas and we, too, call them hello dollies!!! 🙂

    LoVe your blog!!

    Brandy ~ Texas

    Reply
  7. melissa says

    May 22, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    i'm from new york and we've always called these hello dollies, too! when my sister was little, she'd call them dolly partons.

    Reply
  8. Vicki says

    May 19, 2011 at 8:47 pm

    I LOVE these! So yummy! Anyway, I really like the top photo...it's great! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Kristin says

    May 17, 2011 at 9:10 pm

    Ooooh these are nostalgia for me! So easy and delish!

    Reply
  10. Emily @ eat.drink.run. says

    May 17, 2011 at 6:43 am

    These look delicious! I made some a couple months ago that were really thin - yours are nice and thick. I can see how you'd eat most of them!

    Reply
  11. Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says

    May 17, 2011 at 5:00 am

    Oh yum... There aren't many words for these. Just yum. Drool. Swooooon!

    Reply
  12. foodlvr says

    May 16, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    These sound wonderful. Congrats on the Top 9!

    Reply
  13. Ellie@fitforthesoul says

    May 16, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    These look so perfect and delicious~I like the simple ingredient list too 😀 haha, I don't know~I think I'd love the pumpkin bars a lot too~

    Reply
  14. Michelle Benoit (ChocolateCentral) says

    May 16, 2011 at 11:04 am

    I can almost taste these. Yummy. I love all seven of the ingredients so I guess that means I'll love these times seven. Congrats on making the Top 9 today.

    Reply
  15. alyce says

    May 16, 2011 at 7:58 am

    This is similar to what was called a Hello Dolly at my dorm in college in TX.

    Reply
  16. Amy (Sing For Your Supper) says

    May 13, 2011 at 12:57 pm

    Yum, yum, YUMMY!!! Love these things!!

    Reply
  17. Liz says

    May 13, 2011 at 10:45 am

    These are very near and dear to my heart, as they were one of my late mother's favorite things to make. So delicous!

    P.S. Love your blog!

    Reply
  18. Dave at 1 cup Awesome says

    May 13, 2011 at 9:48 am

    Wow! Those look amazing! Your photos on your blog are fantastic, nice work!

    Reply
  19. Erin says

    May 13, 2011 at 8:02 am

    I had never had one of these bars until recently and it was so amazing. Except it was called a Hello Dolly bar. Guess that's because I am in Memphis, TN haha. But I definitely need to make these myself now.

    Reply
  20. Carrie says

    May 13, 2011 at 6:57 am

    I have my Grandmas recipe for these, LOVE them! One of my favorite bars.

    Reply
  21. Blog is the New Black says

    May 13, 2011 at 6:21 am

    These look awesome!

    Reply
  22. Sue Gladd says

    May 13, 2011 at 4:42 am

    You work magic in your kitchen, Nikki!

    Reply

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