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These 7-layer Magic Cookie Bars are made with seven delicious layers – crushed graham cracker crumbs, butter, sweetened condensed milk, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. This 7-layer cookie recipe is a classic that everyone loves any time of year!
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Pin RecipeYou’re going to see why these are my favorite treats to make and share with the kids!
7 Layer Cookie Recipe
You will love this classic cookie recipe that is sure to take you back to your childhood. It also perfect during the Christmas season since it’s perfect for shipping and gift-giving! I like to pair them with a batch of Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars, Hello Dolly Bars, or Rice Krispie treats.
If you’re ready for a cookie recipe that is certain to hit all the sweet notes in your mouth, give this simple 7 layer Magic Cookie Bar recipe a try.
Ingredients Needed for 7 Layer Cookie Bars:
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Layer 1: graham cracker crumbs – you can buy already crumbled or add them to the food processor to pulse them yourself.
- Layer 2: melted butter
- Layer 3: Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Layer 4: butterscotch chips
- Layer 5: semi-sweet chocolate chips (also excellent in these Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!)
- Layer 6: flaked coconut – sweetened or unsweetened coconut could be used.
- Layer 7: chopped nuts – pecans, walnuts, cashews, etc.
How to make 7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven: Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13X9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter and mix well. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the sweetened milk evenly over the crumb mixture. Continue to layer evenly with the remaining ingredients (in the order given) and press down firmly with a fork.
- Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from the sides of the pan while still warm and cool on the wire rack. Cut into bars.
Pro Tip
For perfectly cut cookie bars, line the entire pan with foil and extend the foil over the edge of the pan. Coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up by the edges of the foil to remove from the pan. Cut into individual bars at that point in time.
Tips + Variations
Tips + VariationsThe great thing about this recipe is that you can alter it a bit to have it be just as you want.
- If you don’t care for coconut, you can omit that ingredient from this recipe.
- You can also remove the nuts or change out the nut to one that you want as well.
- These would go perfectly with a nice dollop of whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream also.
- Try adding leftover Halloween candy, like these Halloween Candy Cookie Bars!
Seven Layer Bar FAQS
If you don’t want to use shredded coconut, don’t. Why miss out on the other flavors of this recipe if you can easily omit that one ingredient? Just rename it six layer bars if you need to take out a layer.
You can easily add crushed peanuts, white chocolate chips, or even peanut butter chips in the place of the coconut. You can also drizzle some caramel on top, too.
Sure! Just take out the nuts if you don’t want them or switch out the type of nut that you want to use. Walnuts are great with this recipe due to how soft the nut is.
Yes, you can freeze these treats. Just wrap them in saran wrap and then store them in a freezer-safe bag!
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7 Layer Cookies
Equipment
- 13×9 Inch Baking Dish
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped nuts I like pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter and press crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients in order given. Press down firmly with a fork1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup butter, 14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 cup butterscotch chips, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut, 1 cup chopped nuts
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack.
- For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, remove from the pan and cut with a sharp knife.
So Yummy and so easy….a big hit at home and work
I have the original recipe from Better homes and Gardens cookbook. The proportions are appropriate but they use walnuts and you pour the milk on at the end. This sets everything into the cookie. Also they bake for 30’. Bake time too short here.
Hello.
We made this recipe and it did not turn out. I’ve made this recipe many other times, using different recipes and would NOT recommend assembling with the steps above… The condensed milk should be used last, gluing the ingredients together.
Thank you
I’ve been eating and making these all
my life and I don’t make them that often that I need or have a recipe..however it’s nice to know the exact recipe is on here when I do need to make them. Thanks for that😋😋
I have made these too many times to count… it doesn’t matter what order you layer it! I’ve done it with the condensed milk on top, and the bottom… as long as you push everything down with a fork before baking, it should turn out! Otherwise, check your oven temp! Great recipe allthingsmama! 😊
Cooled for few hours, but still very wet. Disappointed!
You have the order wrong on this recipe, you start with the crust then add the chips, coconut and nuts, then you pour the condensed milk over the top of all of it and bake.
Mine were so soft- didn’t set up at all! Cooked for 22min- toasted golden browned coconut and they were just a failure- too much con.milk I think
Not a great recipe. As a baker I knew the directions were weird but since this was a lesson for my kids to make together, I just went with it. They followed the directions precisely. Do not cut or remove from pan once out of the oven. This recipe produces loose bars, they need to set in the fridge for an hour to cool and harden, otherwise they are a mess.
Yummy, My friend’s mom, Joy Simpkins called these “Girdle Stretchers” !!!
We’ve never heard that name, but it is fitting! 😂
Yummy, My friend’s mom, Joy Simpkins called these “Girdle Stretchers” !!! We may have to call them “Spanx Stretchers”!!
My 3rd time making them. My family loves them 😊
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing, Kathy. 😊
Great recipe, and great tip about the tin foil making bars easy. I just wish I’d thought of that the first go round, or it wasn’t step 4 in your instructions. Anyway, turned out great!
What a mess. The whole thing crumbled apart. Agree with the comments about not enough graham crackers as well. Don’t recommend.
The key is you must push everything down with a fork after layering. You cannot overlooked this step.
This was an expensive disaster. Should have read the comments about the Eagle Brand Milk last. I followed this recipe as directed and they are a mess. It makes logical sense that the Eagle Brand last seals everything together. Lesson learned, read the comments first, not after they come out of the oven.
The key is you must push everything down with a fork after layering. You cannot overlooked this step.
The first time I made these, they were super messy and the layers did not stick together at all. It was frustrating. The second time, I switched the sweetened condensed milk to the LAST layer and they were much easier to eat! Other than that little tweak- this recipe is delicious!
Thank you for the feedback, Mallory! We’re so glad you were able to make them work for you. 😊
Really easy and beyond good. I cut mine into traditional cookie size and it yielded 24 bars.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Chris!
Any suggestions using Graham Cracker Crust Pie Shell verses using a 13×9 baking dish?? Just trying to figure out how much Coconut and Chips to use.
Hi Donna! We think 1 shell should be enough!
I followed the directions and put the condensed milk on first and it came out watery. I even put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes (the first time I baked it for 20 minutes.) Should I have put the milk on last?
Sorry this didn’t turn out for you! The milk shouldn’t have been an issue. The most common reason is that the oven wasn’t hot enough. Hope this helps!
Did you use SWEETENED condensed milk?
Milk should be put on last, not first. If you look up Paula Deens original recipe, that is what she does. I add white chocolate chips as well to balance out flavors.