How to Make Magic Bars with What You Have

Known by a number of names Magic Bars, Hello Dolly Bars, or 7-Layer Bars is a delicious layered cookie that can be made in thousands of combinations with this basic Magic Bars Recipe. They are great added to a Dessert Charcuterie Board.

While Chocolate Coconut Bars are my favorite rendition of the famous Magic Bars recipe, there are in fact over 6000 different variations you can make, often with pantry staples you have on hand! No need to run to the store, mix up a batch today!

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• Why Make This
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• FAQs
• Variations
• More Great Dessert Bars
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• Magic Bars

What sweet treat do you consider irresistible? C’mon, there’s gotta be one.

There exist a handful of foods that I would go so far as to call addictive. Caramel Corn is one. Soda Cracker Cookies are another. And this Hello Dolly Bars recipe definitely ranks in my top three.

I’m not sure what it is, but I suspect it’s the fact that all three feature caramel and some kind of crunch. All three are perfect for the holidays, but I’m going to suggest that you add Magic Bars to your all-year-round list since they are so easy, incredibly versatile, and — you guessed it — simply irresistible.

Why Make This

They are easy! These dessert bars are pretty magical. The classic Magic Bars recipe is made from layering sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and nuts atop a butter and graham cracker crust. It bakes into a gooey, caramelized concoction that is tremendously tasty and simple to make.

Magic Bars are incredibly versatile. While there is a classic ingredient list, the truth is that you can mix and match baking ingredients to come up with over 6000 different combinations.

You can bake from your pantry. With a mix-and-match option, this means you can basically make this Hello Dolly Bars recipe with whatever is in your baking cupboard. The only two must-haves are butter and sweetened condensed milk.

They are so good. With so much versatility, you’re sure to find a flavor combo that you can put on repeat. Hello Dolly Bars for days!

Ingredients

Here’s what you can use to make a batch of Magic Bars:

The standard ingredients in the classic Hello Dolly Bars recipe are:

1. butter
2. graham cracker crumbs
3. chopped nuts
4. chocolate chips
5. shredded coconut
6. sweetened condensed milk
7. butterscotch chips show up in many early versions of the Hello Dolly Bars recipe, so mix and match is nothing new.

After much (delicious) testing, I’ve discovered that are only two real requirements:

• Butter is necessary to hold the crumbs together in the crust. You can use dairy butter, margarine, or a plant-based butter to make it vegan.
• Sweetened condensed milk is needed to hold all the other ingredients together. You can use traditional, light, or even sweetened condensed coconut milk if you want to make them vegan.

Other Ingredients

While the butter and the sweetened condensed milk are necessary to keep everything together, you can swap out the flavor of the crust and the goodies piled on. You’ll need 4 to 5 more layers, but you can choose what those are.

Here’s how you can mix things up in your Magic, Seven-Layer, Hello Dolly Bars:

You’ll need:

crumbs for the crust – You can use graham crackers, chocolate cookies, Biscoff. gingersnaps, shortbread cookies, pretzels, Nilla wafers, Saltine crackers, digestives (a Scottish cookie similar to graham crackers, but better), cereal (like crushed cornflakes or rolled oats).

sugar (optional) – you’ll find a lot of variance in whether sugar is needed for the crust. Some argue that the sugar helps hold the crumbs together. Others say the cookie is sweet enough. Depending on the flavor and texture of the crumbs you use in your crust, you may want to add 2 tablespoons of sugar. In my testing, chocolate cookie crumbs don’t need the sugar, but things like oats or pretzels can benefit from the addition.

nuts or seeds for at least one of the layers – Any of the following are delicious in Hello Dolly Bars: slivered almonds, chopped almonds, chopped cashews, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds.

baking chips for one or two layers – Options include: dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon chips, butterscotch chips, espresso chocolate chips, English toffee bits, or M&M’s (if you choose to add colored candies, such as M&M’s, be sure to add them after the sweetened condensed milk. This will help preserve their color during the baking process.)

different dried fruits and spreads – These add a fruity element to the bars. Consider a layer of dried cranberries, raisins, golden raisins, dried blueberries, chopped dried figs, dried apricot bits, dried cherries, fruit jam, Nutella, or nut butter.

coconut – In classic Magic Bars, there is always a layer of coconut. The classic version of Hello Dolly Bars calls for sweetened coconut shreds. I prefer to use unsweetened shredded coconut since there’s already so many sweet elements in the mix. You can also use coconut flakes or coconut chips, sweetened or not. You can absolutely omit the coconut if you prefer. The bars are just as tasty without coconut, and after all, add another layer of variations to the mix.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Hello Dolly Bars are super easy to prep:

1. Make a crumb crust in the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan.
2. Scatter the baking chips and other layers over the crust.
3. Sprinkle coconut over the chips and other layers.
4. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over all. Bake until golden. Cool and slice into squares.

Notes

In my research I discovered a wide range in methods of assembly. Some people add the goodies and top with the milk; others do it in reverse; some mix it up, leaving coconut for last.

My authority (ie the first recipe I ever saw for Magic Bars) comes from Sandham’s Dutch Touch Cookbook, put together by my Aunt Sandy’s church guild in 1977. Ergo, the “right” way to layer the ingredients is to end with the milk.

However, I see different reasons for changing the layering process, including leaving the coconut for last: the cookies look a bit prettier. If you use colored candies, they’re best left for last as well so as to retain their color. 

If you choose to add the milk after the crumb layer, be sure to press the goodies into the milk slightly to help everything stick together.

FAQs

Variations

While the original combination is pretty delicious, the basic recipe lends itself to all sorts of variations. Over 6,000 to be exact!

Yep, it’s true. You can make so many different Magic Bar variations, it’s crazy!

Years ago I started playing with this recipe and found that I loved using Oreo crumbs instead of graham crackers. Swapping semisweet for dark chocolate, sealed the deal. Double Chocolate Magic Bars have since been a fam favorite ever since.

But, I’ve also learned that mixing and match different goodies into the basic Hello Dolly Bar recipe, swapping different crackers or cookies for the graham crackers and enhancing the filling with dried fruit, Nutella, jam, and different styles of baking chips provides you with endless cookie combinations.

Since the recipe is so easy and mess-free to prepare, it makes for the perfect sweet treat any time of year, but especially at the holidays.

Is there a limit to what you can add to Hello Dolly Bars?

While there’s clearly no limit to the variety of things you can add to your basic Magic Bars, there is a limit on the quantity of goodies.

I recommend that you not exceed 4 ⅓ cups of different toppings, including the coconut. Any more and your cookie bars may not hold together very well.

How many different ways can you make Magic Bars?

With my chart of (at least!) nine different options across four different categories, you can make upwards of 6,561 different combinations of layered dessert bars and more if you include more variations such as changing the milk flavor or omitting the coconut—basically a different version every week for a lifetime.

Now that’s some magical cookies!

I hope you will try a few different mash-ups and let me know which combinations you like the best. If you’re interested, I’ve put together a printable chart to help you maximize your Hello Dolly bar-making, or whatever you want to call them.

Head here to subscribe to my newsletter and I’ll send the free printable straight to your inbox.

Do you even need a recipe?

My friend Lynn claims that you don’t really need a recipe for these yummy bars. She just uses whatever she has on hand. In fact, she pointed out that there is chocolate sweetened condensed milk on the market, thereby increasing your magic bar variations by another 6,561. Ha!

That said, she’s been pretty creative herself. Be sure to check out Lynn’s gluten-free Oatmeal Pumpkin Magic Bars which gives yet another spin on the classic recipe.

More Great Dessert Bars

This post was originally published on December 3, 2020. It has been updated for content and clarity.