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7 Layer Bars aka Magic Bars are a simple yet decadent combination of graham cracker crust, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and nuts. The sweetened condensed milk caramelizes on top, melds the flavors, and pulls all the layers together!
In High School, my friend Blair and I would sneak out and risk getting detention. Why? To buy Seven Layer Bars from a local bakery. Imagine my excitement when I found my Great-Grandmother RoRo’s personal recipe for them? To save you from getting detention, I’m sharing her recipe with you today!
Some people call 7 Layer Bars “Magic Bars.” That’s because they’re magic. I made them as bite sized squares or petit fours for Marc Forgione’s restaurant several years ago, and they disappeared faster than we could assemble them! These magical bars are among my most treasured culinary memories, joined by old fashioned butterscotch brownies, almond bars, Mom’s chewy gingerbread boy cookies, and the best fudgy brownie recipe!
Table of Contents
Why you will love 7 Layer Bars:
- Just how you like it: These magic bars are extremely flexible ingredients-wise! They can include your fondest flavors and whatever you have in your pantry.
- Easy to make: This dessert is easy enough to make with kids! The magic of these bars is that they hold their shape, so the dessert looks elegant and complete with almost no time spent in the kitchen.
- Super safe: I was pregnant just last year, and some recipes out there make me nervous. The ingredients in these bars don’t even technically need to be baked, so there’s no chance of endangering a loved one with things such as undercooked eggs. The ingredients are also very adaptable! You can omit things that people might have allergies or sensitivities to, so everyone can enjoy.
- Nostalgia: This recipe is a classic. It tastes like all the best elements of childhood!
What are 7 Layer Bars?
Also called Magic Bars or Hello Dolly Bars, 7 Layer Bars are seven layers of amazing flavors all stacked and then baked into one addicting dessert. These bars are made by melding the flavors of graham crackers and butter, coconut, chocolate, butterscotch, sweetened condensed milk, and lightly toasted chopped nuts. All the flavors come together to make a perfectly balanced bite!
Ingredients
- Salted Butter: I typically use unsalted butter for baking to control salt amount. However, this recipe is old school, and so salted butter has made a rare appearance!
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: For recipes like this one and my graham cracker crust, I like to buy pre-ground graham cracker crumbs. Some days, grinding my own graham crackers in the food processor just seems like too much work.
- Shredded Coconut: I usually buy unsweetened shredded coconut so I can keep track of just how sweet my dessert is, and it’s also more useful to have around for savory recipes as well!
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I am picky about my semi-sweet chocolate chips. I want them to be just sweet enough, but not cloying. I also want them to have a quality texture. Sometimes the additives that allow chips to keep their shape negatively impact their taste and mouthfeel. I also love Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips, but they aren’t always available. Sometimes I’ll even use mini-chocolate chips just because I think they distribute more evenly.
You don’t want any singular flavor to overwhelm the other flavors. This means that you want to be generous with your favorite ingredients, but also mindful of distribution and balance between the layers.
- Butterscotch Chips: Butterscotch chips add a flavor very similar to caramel. They are my secret weapon in this treat!
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness without adding moisture. It helps keep the bars together while giving extra richness.
- Walnuts: Lightly chopped, untoasted walnuts add a more subtle nut flavor to the mix. They offer a little crunch and earthiness.
How to Make 7 Layer Bars
Use these instructions to make the perfect 7 layer bars every time! Further details can be found in the recipe card below!
Prepare ingredients:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a pan with parchment paper to more easily remove your bars after baking.
Step 2: Melt butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl.
Step 3: Mix melted butter with graham cracker crumbs. I like to be sure all the crumbs are hydrated with the butter so they clump together and then crumble. Evenly press the buttered crumbs into the bottom of a 13x9x2” baking dish. You can use your hands or the back of a spoon.
Assemble the layers:
Step 1: Sprinkle the coconut on top of the graham cracker crust.
Step 2: Add the chocolate chips over the coconut.
Step 3: Distribute the butterscotch chips over the chocolate chips.
Step 4: Pour sweetened condensed milk over the entire surface. I like to do it in a ‘sine wave’ or wavy pattern so it doesn’t pool, and then I go back and fill in the gaps.
The key to adding the sweetened condensed milk is to keep it moving, which is why using a wave-like pattern is useful.
Step 5: Sprinkle the nuts on top! I prefer fewer nuts, but like to have a fairly even distribution.
Bake:
Step 1: Bake at 325°F for 20-30 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown.
Step 2: Immediately after removing the 7 layer bars from the oven, use a paring knife to loosen the sides of the bars from the pan, or they will be impossible to remove. Cool on a rack.
Step 3: Once they are completely cooled, cut them into bars with a knife and store in a sealed container. Enjoy!
Seven Layer Bars Recipe Tips
- Evenness of layers and flavors: The key is you don’t want any singular flavor to overwhelm the other flavors. This means that you want to be generous with your favorite ingredients, but also mindful of distribution and balance between the layers.
- Keep your condensed milk moving: The key to adding the sweetened condensed milk is to keep it moving, which is why using a wave-like pattern is useful. You don’t want the milk to pool in one spot, and you want it to be evenly distributed. I start in a corner and move it like a wave back and forth, and then I go back and forth the other way. You could also turn your pan to work smarter, not harder.
- Bake until lightly browned: You can relax knowing that nothing in this recipe actually technically needs to be baked. The baking really works to meld the flavors together. It also toasts the nuts on top just a little, and gives your condensed milk a tiny bit of delicious caramelization.
Video Tutorial
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
As the sweetened condensed milk cools it sticks like glue to the pan, and even with parchment paper can sometimes make removing the bars challenging. Right when you take your bars out of the oven, use a paring knife, offset spatula or butter knife, and run it around the sides between the bars and the pan.
Variations
- Order of Layers: It is best to put the graham cracker crust made of graham cracker crumbs and butter on the bottom. Also put the condensed milk close to the top, and your bars will stay together beautifully. You can do the other layers in whatever order you prefer!
- Different Layers: This recipe can absolutely include layers of your favorite things. Some possible variations could include cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and even homemade marshmallows! Just keep the ratio relatively the same so your layers don’t overpower one another. Leave me a comment to let me know which combination ends up being the biggest hit!
- Bite-Sized: You can also have a bite-sized version by cutting them into smaller sizes. You can cut these bars into whatever shape or size you desire, because they hold their form! For clean lines no matter the size, refrigerate the bars before slicing.
Substitutions
- Butter: If you only have unsalted butter on hand, no problem! Just add a pinch of kosher salt to the butter layer of this recipe.
You can relax knowing that nothing in this recipe actually technically needs to be baked. The baking really works to meld the flavors together.
- Nuts: I like to use walnuts because I grew up with them in these bars, but pecans would also be lovely. Whatever chopped nuts you prefer, those are the ones you should use! If you have a nut allergy, consider adding a top layer of something with a crunch that you enjoy, or you can omit the nuts completely.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Don’t have a can of sweetened condensed milk around? You can still make these bars! Just omit it. The bars will still hold together and the flavor will be similar, but they will just be a little more crumbly.
Storing Leftovers
Store baked bars in an air-tight container at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen. If distributing snacks, zip-top plastic bags work like a charm. These bars will keep 7 days at room temperature, two weeks in the refrigerator, or 3 months frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can assemble and bake these bars ahead! The bars can be cooled, sliced and frozen for up to three months!
You are only limited by the size of your baking pan, and how many pans and ovens you have. I’ve made these for a restaurant (and the kitchen staff) to great success, sometimes making 300 bite-sized bars at a time!
You can freeze magic bars! An easy way to thaw them is to put them in the refrigerator or on the counter overnight. Full disclosure, they are also delicious frozen! Just ask my husband.
These bars ship wonderfully especially when frozen. Package them with tissue paper as padding so they don’t crash about in the tin.
The sweetened condensed milk needs to be baked in order to set the squares. Bake them long enough for the sweetened condensed milk to caramelize and brown. It adds flavor along with structure! The chocolate and butterscotch chips also melt and hold the bars together once cooled and sliced.
Seven Layer Bars (Magic Bars)
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 cup graham cracker crumbs ~16 graham cracker sheets
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 6 oz butterscotch chips ½ package
- 15 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Melt butter in a microwavable bowl and mix with graham cracker crumbs. Press buttered crumbs into the bottom of a 13”x9”x2” baking dish.
- Sprinkle the coconut on top of the graham cracker crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips followed by the butterscotch chips.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk over entire surface. My only advice here is to keep the can moving so the milk doesn’t pool. I create a pattern like a sine wave and then go back across in the same pattern but filling in the gaps. I apologize for the math analogy…I just couldn’t refrain.
- Lastly, sprinkle the nuts over the surface. I prefer fewer nuts, but that is another magical element to these bars: you can easily modify them to your tastes!
- Bake at 325°F for 20-30 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Immediately after removing the 7- layer bars from the oven loosen the sides of the bars from the pan, or they will be impossible to remove. Cool on a rack.
- Once they are completely cooled, cut them into bars with a knife and store in a sealed container.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed Brownies and Bars Recipes!
Do the ingredient amounts have to be exact, or am I OK if I’m not right on? Yhanks.
Hi Jonny! That’s a great question! For this particular recipe, the amounts are very much baker’s choice. As long as you have enough of each ingredient to make the graham cracker crust for the bottom, you can experiment with the other layers. Your amounts don’t need to be right on, but the closer they are to the provided measurements the closer they’ll be to what I made in the images. Please report back, and happy baking!
I followed the recipe which says to sprinkle the coconut on top of the graham cracker crust, but in the video that is not the order. I did it according to the recipe, will these still turn out?
Hi Dixie! That’s a great point, but they will absolutely turn out delish in that order as well. Enjoy! <3
These bars are one of my favorite desserts ever! Truly the best chewy and gooey textures and delicious flavors!
Hi Addison! I couldn’t agree more!
These were devoured by my kiddos in record time! Perfectly sweet with such a fun texture!
Hi Kris! I’m so glad the kiddos enjoyed!
These are amaaazing. That graham cracker is my favorite part. I can’t wait to make these for family!
Hi Gen! I’m a graham cracker fan over here too!
Delicious!
I can see why you call these magical.
My hubby wasn’t sure all the flavours would go together. He kind of turned his nose up at the idea of these. Then he tried one! And I had to keep reminding him “but you didn’t want any” to try and stop him eating my share as well as his own 😂
I used to sneak out of school with my friend Rach, but it wasn’t for magic bars it was for Chinese roast pork 😂😂
Hi Claire! I’m so glad you brought your husband over to the sweet side!
This was my first time making 7-layer bars and they were amazing! I can’t believe how easy (and tasty!) there were. Will definitely make them again soon. Thanks!
Hi Erin! Thanks for coming back and commenting! They are super easy and oh so rewarding!