Seven Layer Bars are gooey baked cookie bars with coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans, a graham cracker crust and sweetened condensed milk.
Fast, easy treats like Rice Krispies Treats, S’mores and Brownies are great when you need dessert to feed a crowd that won’t break the bank. We have so many Cookie Bar Recipes that can be made in 30 minutes with a handful of ingredients!
SEVEN LAYER BARS
Seven Layer Bars, also known as Hello Dollies, are a budget friendly treat that goes a long way, perfect for potlucks and big summer gatherings. The bars are super rich and sweet, so you’ll want to cut them smaller unless you’ve got a big sweet tooth!
With only seven ingredients, Seven Layer Bars are some of the easiest cookie bars you will ever make. Each layer is made with ingredients that you may already have in your pantry or can pick up at the store. As long as you have a can of sweetened condensed milk, you can make these layer bars with what you have on hand too.
Seven Layer Bars are easily customized to exactly how you like them. Don’t want nuts? Leave them out. Swap in or add candy, toffee bits, or whatever is in your pantry. You don’t want to go over 5 cups total volume of ingredients or there won’t be enough condensed milk to hold everything together. Check out some of the suggestions we have below!
During the holidays, you can buy things like sweetened coconut flakes and chocolate chips in bulk on sale. Baking ingredients typically have a shelf life of at least a year so keep your pantry stocked to make these delicious Seven Layer Magic Bars whenever you need a fast, easy dessert!
Unlike our original Magic Bars, the sweetened condensed milk is the bottom layer instead of pouring over the top. This toasts the sweetened coconut flakes and the baking chips melt while the condensed milk caramelizes for a super rich, chewy bar.
Use a food processor to make the graham cracker crumbs easier or place the graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin. The rolling bin-bag method is fun for kids to get in on. You could also use packaged graham cracker crumbs, but where is the fun in that? Plus they are more costly with less use than a box of graham crackers.
These bars are so sweet and rich on their own, but you can give them an extra boost with a drizzle of Salted Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Ganache. After a few days they will start to harden, so why not chop them up as a topping for Vanilla Ice Cream? Freeze the chopped leftovers for sundaes or a frozen candy snack when it’s hot.
MORE DELICIOUS BROWNIE AND BAR RECIPES
Pecan Pie Bars
Cheesecake Bars
Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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VARIATIONS ON SEVEN LAYER BARS
- Nuts: Use any chopped nuts you like in this recipe like walnuts, peanuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts. Toast the nuts for a few minutes in a skillet for even more savory flavor to balance out the sweetness.
- Chocolate Chips: Use other baking chips like white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, caramel chips, or toffee bits.
- Layers: Other layers you can add are mini marshmallows, chopped hard pretzels, raisins, M&Ms, and Reese’s Pieces.
- Rolled Oats: Sprinkle 1/2 cup rolled oats over the crust before adding the sweetened condensed milk for a little healthy boost.
- Crust: Instead of a graham cracker crust, you can make a shortbread crust (below) or substitute other crushed cookies. Try Oreos, stale (hard) sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies, Nutter Butters, or other hard cookies.
Seven Layer Bars with Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9×9 baking pan.
- Cream together 1 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- On low speed, slowly add 2 1/4 cup flour until combined.
- Press dough into pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Assemble bars as usual and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
MORE FUN DESSERT RECIPES
Rainbow Cupcakes with Vanilla Cloud Frosting
S’mores Bars
Sour Patch Grapes – Healthier than the Candy!
Fruity Pebbles Treats
HOW TO STORE SEVEN LAYER BARS
- Serve: You can keep Seven Layer Bars chilled or at room temperature. They will say good covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Store: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate Seven Layer Bars for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Cut bars before freezing for easier snacking. Freeze cut Seven Layer Bars in a sealed plastic bag. Thaw at room temperature until soft enough to eat.
Seven Layer Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , melted
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
- 1 cup pecans , chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with baking spray.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.
- Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts.
- Press down firmly with a fork.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool completely (preferably refrigerate until cold) before cutting and serve at room temperature.
Great recipe – easy to make and so delicious!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Melissa.
These bars so super simple to make and always a huge hit! Yummy!
I’m glad you all enjoyed them.
I would love one of these right now, or maybe 3! 🙂 They are amazing!
It is hard to stop at one, so I totally get that! Thanks for the 5 stars.