Magic Cookie Bars

It doesn't get much sweeter or easier than magic cookie bars!

These treats are one of the sweetest and easiest bar cookie recipes we have ever experienced.

Most people with a serious sweet tooth agree that they are simply delicious.

More candy than cookie, with only six ingredients - graham cracker crumbs, butter, coconut, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and sweetened condensed milk - magic 7-layer cookie bars seem to turn up often, especially at holiday time.

We were first introduced to them by one of my sister's friends back in the 1970s and they have become a holiday cookie plate staple ever since.

I sometimes see recipes for these cookie bars called magic seven-layer bars or seven layer bars, that include butterscotch chips in addition to the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Some seven layer cookie bar recipes call for chopped walnuts while others call for chopped pecans.

I prefer those made with chopped walnuts and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and without the butterscotch chips -- probably because this is the version I sampled more than thirty years ago.

But feel free to experiment and find the magic seven layer cookie bar version that you like best and call your own!

Magic (7-Layer) Cookie Bars Recipe

This is one of the most decadently sweet bar cookie recipes ever. I make them in a 9X13-inch pan for thin multi-layered bar cookie. If you prefer thicker bars, a 9x9-inch pan works well. You will just need to bake them for about 10 minutes longer when using the 9-inch square pan.

To keep things super easy and avoid unnecessary clean-up, melt the butter right in the baking pan.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 to 1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/2 cups coconut (try unsweetened dessicated coconut for a less sweet option)
1 to 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips (optional)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a 9x13-inch baking pan mix butter and graham cracker crumbs and press evenly to cover the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle, in order: chocolate chips, coconut, butterscotch chips, and then the nuts over the crumb base.
Drizzle condensed milk over the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack and cut into bars. Because these 7 layer magic cookie bars are so sweet, I prefer to cut them into little bite-sized bars.

This recipe makes one 9x9-inch pan Magic 7-Layer Cookie Bars