Seven Layer Bars (+ Video)
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Seven Layer Bars, magic cookie bars, kitchen sink bars, whatever you call them, this classic dessert is easy and delicious. A graham cracker crust, chocolate, white chocolate, and butterscotch chips, nuts, and shredded coconut are melded together with sweetened condensed milk.
SEVEN LAYER BARS
Seven Layer Bars are a magical cookie bar that consists of:
- a graham cracker crust (crushed graham crackers + butter)
- chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
- butterscotch chips
- nuts (pecans/walnuts)
- shredded coconut
- and is held together with the help of sweetened condensed milk.
They are great for gift giving during the holidays, make a nice substitute for pie at Thanksgiving, and are perfect for potlucks and gatherings.
If you love sweet and salty combinations, I have a recipe for Caramel Pretzel Magic Bars. Oreo fanatic? I have Cookies & Cream Magic Bars too! There are endless variations to try.
When I worked in a bakery, we didn’t even measure anything when we made seven layer bars. We would just pat the graham cracker crust in the bottom of a large sheet tray, sprinkle all the other ingredients, and drizzle just enough sweetened condensed milk to help them stick together.
These magic bars are quite rich to the taste, so smaller portions are easily satisfying.
You can even freeze seven layer bars after baking and cooling. Just leave a bit of space in between the bars so they don’t stick together, and then transfer them to a freezer safe plastic bag, with wax/parchment paper between the bars, if stacking.
They can be eaten straight from the freezer, or thawed. Either way, you’ll love these rich and chewy dessert bars!
Seven Layer Bars
Ingredients
- 12 whole (rectangle) graham crackers (about 1 & 1/2 pkgs)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted (salted or unsalted)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup pecan pieces or other chopped nuts
- 1 cup shredded coconut flakes
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Blend graham crackers in a food processor or blender until fine crumbs. Add melted butter to crumbs, mix, and flatten onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish. (Can line dish with parchment paper to lift bars out of pan for easy cutting.)
- Drizzle some of sweetened condensed milk over the crust (about 1/3 of the can). Sprinkle with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, and coconut flakes. Drizzle the remaining sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, until center bubbles and edges brown.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. To Freeze: Leave a bit of space in between the bars on a sheet tray so they don’t stick together. Freeze bars, then transfer to a freezer safe plastic bag, with wax/parchment paper between the bars, if stacking. Thaw in refrigerator or eat straight from the freezer.
Notes
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*Video added 11/29/18
4 Comments on “Seven Layer Bars (+ Video)”
I bought graham cracker crumbs (vs full cracker). Do you know measurement (in cups) that equal 12 whole crackers?
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Have you tried toasting the coconut first? Just wondering how it is. Sometimes raw coconut (even though it’s being baked) can be a bit chewy. Thanks.
You can absolutely try it, but you’d probably want to layer it differently. I’d do the crust and a thin layer of sweetened condensed milk, then all of the toasted coconut, then the chocolate chips/nuts on top of the toasted coconut, and then the rest of the sweetened condensed milk over the top. If the coconut is already toasted and it’s at the surface of the dessert when baking, it might brown further and potentially burn.