Magic Cookie Bars, perfected and customizable

👩‍🌾yields 16 servings, ~ 2″×3″ / 1.01 USD each

I’ve tried many versions that I think are way too sweet and more fall-apart-ey messes than sturdy bars. But this way? Oh, now it’s my go-to potluck dessert! I hope they check your boxes, too, like they did mine

✔️simple to prepare – construct, cook, cool, cut, and presto!

✔️can be made days before serving

✔️versatile / appropriate for any occasion

✔️stack well so take up minimal food table space

You won’t really have to worry about temperature, although they will be a little softer in high heat, and they’re not fussy enough to need special utensils or even plates; just maybe place near the napkins [and photographable recipe unless you enjoy fielding lots of requests]. I’ve basically struck gold here and am just trying to spread the wealth…💁‍♀️

✅ what you’ll need to have:

⏳ time

• prep: 20 minutes — 10 for crust, 5 to build on top of it, and 5 later to divide into portions 
• cook: 35 minutes — 10 for crust alone and another 25 to bake fully composed dish
• cool: 2–4 hours (less in fridge, more on counter – I don’t recommend freezing* before cutting)
• optional 🧊 freeze: 1 minute per (if wrapping individually) OR about 2 hours (if not)

🧾 ingredients

⇓ volume in US cups and spoons; weight in grams

• ³/₄c; 170g butter¹, salted or not
• ¹/4c; 53g granulated sugar (this caramelizes when baked, helping the crust/bars maintain firm texture) or brown sugar + skip the molasses¹
• 2tsp; 14g unsulphured molasses (ok to omit, but #thatflavortho)
• 3c; 339g graham cracker crumbs (pre-pulverizing = 22 full sheets, aka ⁷/₈ of a 14oz box)²
• 1¹/₄c; 397g sweetened condensed milk (a 14 fl oz can – ♥ {this} opener) and/or another dulce-de-leche-like melting component¹
• 2c; 340g semisweet chocolate chunks and/or alternative baking morsels
• 1c; 60g unsweetened coconut chips or sweetened flaked coconut (if you want more sugar, or if it’s all you have and then maybe use a darker chocolate) or switch out for old fashioned oats, extra nuts, or a combo… dessert is for the eater, and this one works with or without the fruit)
• 1c; 129g chopped walnuts or other nut pieces or broken pretzels (get creative; 🌎=🦪)

🔌 equipment

• conventional oven (or maybe convection, but I’ve never tried)
• 9″x13″ baking dish, greased with some of the butter (easier removal option: line pan with aluminum foil before greasing, leaving some overhang to later use as handles)
• microwave³
• large microwave safe bowl³
• spoonula or similar scraping/stirring tool
• something to assist in firmly packing crust into pan (step 7) and gently compressing layers (step 12) – I use a measuring cup or drinking glass
• oven mitt
• cooling rack
• sharp spatula (unless pan is lined with foil)
• if removing from pan before cutting (easier/prettier), cutting board & knife
• tray for serving same day and/or airtight container for longer storage
• if 🧊 freezing,
  • sturdy platform on which they can individually harden or aluminum foil to wrap each
  • label (I use permanent marker and Kraft tape)

📄 what you’ll need to do:

1. preheat oven to 350°F
2. put butter, sugar, & molasses in bowl and microwave on high 30sec
3. stir well, then microwave additional 30sec
4. stir until mixture becomes homogeneous—it will be separated and oily at first, but I promise: after a minute, it’ll turn thick and toffee-ish
5. stir in crumbs until texture resembles wet sand (if you squeeze a clump in your hand, it should hold it’s shape—you’d be able to make a great castle with this stuff if it weren’t way too delicious to waste)
6. scrape into greased pan
7. firmly press into even layer along bottom of pan
8. bake 10–12 min, checking at 10 and only letting it stay in the oven another two if need be – will develop a toastier color/fragrance and look a bit soft/bubbly, but should set up while cooling
9. evenly pour sweetened condensed milk on top, covering entire crust by tilting the pan and utilizing warmth/gravity (instead of spreading it with a dangerous utensil) – be careful to not gouge into it because, at this point, the crust is still susceptible to easily getting smushed
10. evenly sprinkle on chocolate, coconut, and walnuts in that order
11. gently press top layers into the milk so they don’t crumble off while eating
12. bake until coconut starts toasting and/or milk becomes bubbly and caramel-brown at the edges, about 20-25 minutes
13. cool completely, about 4 hours on rack or 1 hour on rack + 1 hour in fridge
14. if removing from pan before cutting (easier/prettier)…
    • if using aluminum foil, grip those handles and gently lift/lower dessert out of pan / onto cutting board and carefully sliding away the foil (sort-of like a magician would a table cloth) to reserve for cookie storage
    • if not, wedge spatula or knife between dessert and pan around full perimeter then transfer from dish to cutting board – after un-sticking all its edges, dessert should be easy to lift and slide out with spatula
15. cut into bars! I get 16 equal rectangles by creating a 4×4 grid
16. keep in or out of fridge for up to one week; 🧊 freeze for longer storage

📝 some notes 📝

¹ can be made vegan-friendly with Earth Balance instead of butter, condensed coconut milk in place of the dairy version, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, etc

² good substitutes for the graham crackers include: digestive biscuits, ginger snaps, waffle cones, corn flakes, animal crackers, pretzels, vanilla wafers, similar crumb makers, and a combination of these – if you don’t want that crust at all, maybe try a comparable base like shortbread or oatmeal instead

³ instead of using a microwave/bowl, you can cook the first three ingredients in a 2qt saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted (about 4min) and then proceed to step 5

❣️ these also go by Hello Dolly Bars {click here for why}, Coconut Dream Bars, and 7 Layer bars (because the crust was originally formed by layering graham cracker crumbs onto the bottom layer of butter, followed by essentially the remaining four layers in my recipe plus butterscotch chips)

1. crust
2. an orange’s zest and ¹/₂tsp ground cardamom stirred into sweetened condensed milk before pouring
3. ²/₃c; 113g—often sold as 4oz bar—each chopped white & unsweet dark chocolate
4. packed ¹/₂c; 80g dried cranberries, soaked in hot water while preparing crust & strained while crust bakes to rehydrate them a bit
5. 1c; 130g chopped pistachio meat

some vintage Borden ads featuring the brand’s pitch for their previously-marketed-as-infant-formula product to become integral in post WWII desserts:

(worked on my family; I was born in 1985 and grew up stoked to make/eat these every summer)

✨gratitude to Borden / Eagle Brand for inspiration✨