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These Magic Cookie Bars are a 7 layer bar recipe that’s so easy to assemble. Just pile up your favorite treats over the easy cookie crust and bake. These are even better than the original: they have peanut butter and M&Ms for the perfect dessert!
Monster Magic 7 Layer Bars
These seven layer magic bars are terrific, especially for those who aren’t a fan of coconut. Trust me when I say that these magic cookie bars without coconut will steal your heart.
These Magic Bars became an instant hit in the 1960s after the Hello Dolly musical. Many say that’s where these magic bars got their original name, Hello Dolly Bars. Regardless of what they’re called, they have a crunchy crust with tons of toppings and condensed milk evenly poured over the seven layers!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This one recipe makes 24 magic bars so it’s convenient to make for large gatherings
- Each layer is filled with your favorite sweet and salty treats: peanut butter, pretzels, and M&Ms!
- The sweetened condensed milk creates the magic of the bars.
- The nutter butter cookie crust makes the perfect base for this cookie bar recipe.
Ingredients Needed
- Nutter Butters: These are peanut butter sandwich cookies, use any brand.
- Butter: melted to stick the cookie crumbs together to form the crust.
- Nuts: I used coarsely chopped pecans but use any cup chopped nuts you like
- Chocolate chips: I’m using semi sweet chocolate but you can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer
- Peanut butter chips: Reese’s peanut butter chips are my favorite
- Pretzels: coarsely chopped pretzels for a salty crunch
- M&Ms: plain or any flavor
- Sweetened condensed milk: to evenly pour on top of the layers for a glossy finish
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Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions and below the recipe card for process shots.
How to make Magic Cookie Bars
- Use stick cooking spray on the baking pan and preheat the oven to 350°.
- Finely crush a cup of graham crackers in a food processor and mix with melted butter to press into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle semi sweet chocolate chips, nuts, peanut butter chips, pretzels, and M&Ms evenly over the top of the crust. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the layer bars.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool Completely before cutting.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to use sweetened condensed milk for these layer magic cookies recipes. It’s what brings the layers together and creates the gooey texture we love. Read the can to make sure it doesn’t say evaporated milk.
- The bars are done baking when they’re golden around the edges and the sweetened condensed milk looks dried and shiny.
- Let them cool completely before slicing.
- Don’t skip lining the pan – this makes for easy removal.
FAQs
Yes! You can freeze a full batch of these magic cookie bars for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
They don’t need to be refrigerated. They might slice better cold because of how gooey they are but otherwise they are fine room temperature.
Yes, you can. Either kind works as long as you’re using condensed milk not evaporated milk.
Monster Magic Cookie Bars
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 20 Nutter Butters or other peanut butter sandwich cookie
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup nuts (I used pecans), coarsely chopped
- 2 cups (340g) chocolate chips
- 1 cup (170g) peanut butter chips
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped pretzels
- 1 cup M&Ms plain or any flavor
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” pan with parchment paper.
- Finely crush cookies in a food processor. Mix with melted butter and press into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips, nuts, peanut butter chips, pretzels, and M&Ms evenly over the top of the crust. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the bars.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Cool Completely before cutting.
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to use sweetened condensed milk for these layer magic cookies recipes. It’s what brings the layers together and creates the gooey texture we love. Read the can to make sure it doesn’t say evaporated milk.
- The bars are done baking when they’re golden around the edges and the sweetened condensed milk looks dried and shiny.
- Let them cool completely before slicing.
- Don’t skip lining the pan – this makes for easy removal.
- Substitute graham crackers or any other sandwich cookie for the crust!
- Swap out your favorite toppings for any of the ones listed
How many cups of graham cracker crumbs would you substitute?
About 2 cups graham cracker crumbs and about 1/2 cup butter
Thank you! This did not end up being enough butter to hold it together. Next time I will use 1.5 cups crumbs.
Made a similar version of this for my birthday & today. I used your recipe as my start. I used choc chip & peanut butter & choc sandwich cookies ground up for the crust (enough for a pan slightly larger than 9×13). Then topped with choc chips, chopped dry roasted peanuts, Reese’s pieces, mini unwrapped Reese’s pb cups, mini M&Ms, topped with a can of sw cond milk. Baked at 335- my oven runs high, for approx 34 mins.
Super yummy!!!!
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