These 7 Layer Bars are irresistibly delicious! With just 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes to bake, you'll be ready to dive into layers of graham cracker crust, coconut, chocolate, butterscotch, nuts, and sweetened condensed milk. Out-of-this-world delicious, these wont stick around very long!
Sweet. Rich. Delicious. That's how I describe these 7 layer bars. Also known as Hello Dolly Bars or Magic Bars, this is a classic recipe and they are super simple to make. With their buttery graham cracker crust and layers of sweetness, they are almost impossible to stop eating!
7 layer bars are a delicious dessert that consists of seven layers of ingredients. Similar to this summer berry trifle, tiramisu trifle, and this Christmas candy crack, they are known for their sweet, rich, and indulgent flavor. They typical layers you will find in this dessert consists of a graham cracker crust, butter, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, and sweetened condensed milk
With every ooey gooey bite, these are perfect to serve during the holidays or as a dessert after any meal. And since they are loved by many and serve a crowd, they are great to take to a get together! When people ask me to bring a dessert to get together, I either take these raspberry crumble bars, these creamy chocolate truffles, this caramel pecan pie, or these 7 layer bars!
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ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. They are easy to prepare making them a popular "go-to dessert" for everyone.
2. Making 7 layer bars is simple and doesn't require advanced baking skills. Anyone can make these!
3. Incredibly versatile, you can customize these bars with just about any ingredient and flavor variety of your choice!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Graham Crackers: used to make the crust of the bars.
- Salted Butter: helps balance the sweetness and adds a rich and flavorful buttery taste to every bite.
- Shredded Coconut: use sweetened shredded coconut rather than unsweetened coconut to ensure the flavor is sweet and the texture is good and moist.
- Butterscotch Chips: these have a sweet and buttery flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla. The flavor complements the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips.
- Semi-Sweet Morsels: adds a chocolate flavor to the bars.
- Walnuts: provides a nutty flavor and a bit of crunch.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: use sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. It acts as a binding and sweetening agent, creating a creamy layer as it bakes.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Crust: Try substituting the graham crackers by using crushed up pretzels, shortbread cookies, or even Oreo cookies as the crust. There are even gluten free versions of graham crackers, pretzels, and cookies available, if there are dietary restrictions. To add a hint of cinnamon, use cinnamon graham crackers.
- Different Types of Morsels: These bars taste absolutely heavenly, but they are also sweet and rich! To cut some of the sweetness, feel free to use a dark chocolate morsel instead of a semi-sweet. White chocolate and peanut butter morsels also work well. Similar to this Halloween Crack Candy recipe, you can also use up any leftover Halloween candy! M&Ms and smashed snickers bars taste great!
- Nuts: Use any type of nut you like such as peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts! Just ensure they are chopped.
- Coconut: If you're not a fan of coconut, leave it out!
- Additional Topping Ideas: Try adding mini-marshmallows or pretzels. Dried fruit also works well.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1-2: Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. While the oven is heating, empty the entire box of graham crackers into a gallon sealable plastic bag and seal. Make sure there is minimal air in the bag. Take a rolling pin and use it to press and roll over the graham crackers until they become finely crushed crumbs.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Note: To quickly and easily crush the graham crackers, you can also use a food processor!
Step 3-4: Next, take the stick of salted butter and place it in a 13x9 glass pyrex dish. Melt the butter entirely and then remove the glass pyrex dish from the oven. Set aside. Pour the graham cracker crumbs on top of the melted butter and spread around until the butter soaks into the graham cracker crumbs. Spread evenly so that the crumbs are in a flat layer.
Step 5-7: It's now time to start layering! Take 1 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut and sprinkle evenly over the graham cracker crust. Add the bag of butterscotch morsels and spread evenly on top of the graham cracker crumbs and shredded coconut. Next, spread the semi-sweet morsels on top of the butterscotch chips. Make sure the ingredients are layered as evenly as possible.
Step 8-9: Add in ½ cup of chopped walnuts on top of the layers.Then, slowly pour the condensed sweetened milk on top of the layers.
Step 10: After all the condensed sweetened milk is added on top of all the layers, spread the creamy mixture around with a spatula until it's evenly coated. The condensed sweetened milk is going to seep down into each layer, making these bars irresistible!
Step 11: Put the pyrex baking dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Step 12: Once the 7 layer bars are done baking, let them cool before cutting. The goals is to allow the ingredients to harden so you can serve them in a bar form.
Serve these with a tall glass of cold milk, a cup of hot tea, or coffee!
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQs
It's recommended that you let them cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours before cutting. This allows the ingredients to meld together and become hard. To quicken the process, place them in the refrigerator so they cool faster. Do not place them in the freezer to harden. It will change the texture of the bars.
Yes! They can be made ahead of time and then stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days before serving.
Yes! These freeze very well! Once they have completely cooled, cut them into bars and place them in a freezer safe container. You can freeze them all together or individually. Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, remove them from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator. Enjoy once they are completely thawed.
💭 Expert Tips
- Make sure you use condensed sweetened milk, not evaporated milk.
- To ensure the bars don't stick to the pan, make sure to grease the baking dish with butter or cooking spray before layering. Or, line your baking dish with parchment paper.
- After layering all the ingredients, use a spatula to press them down firmly. This helps hold the layers together and prevents the bars from falling apart.
- When cutting, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and then dried to make a clean cut. The layers can be sticky.
🥧 More Sweet Treats You'll Love!
If you tried these 7 Layer Bars or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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7 Layer Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs,
- 1 stick salted butter,
- 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened and shredded
- 1 11oz butterscotch chips
- 1 11 oz semi-sweet morsels
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 14 oz condensed sweetened milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉
- Melt 1 stick of salted butter in a 9x13 inch glass pyrex dish.
- Crush all the graham crackers into crumbs and evenly spread them into the melted butter to form the crust.
- Add 1 cup of shredded coconut on top of the graham cracker crust.
- Then, add 11 ounces of butterscotch chips (typically the entire bag) on top of the coconut.
- Next, add 11 ounces of chocolate chip morsels (typically the entire bag) on top of the butterscotch chips. Spread evenly.
- Evenly sprinkle on the ½ cup of chopped walnut chips.
- Pour 1 can of condensed sweetened milk over the graham cracker crust, morsels, nuts, and coconut. Use a spatula to spread evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Once done, let the pan cool completely before cutting into bars.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.
Notes
- Make sure you use condensed sweetened milk, not evaporated milk.
- To ensure the bars don't stick to the pan, make sure to grease the baking dish with butter or cooking spray before layering. Or, line your baking dish with parchment paper.
- After layering all the ingredients, use a spatula to press them down firmly. This helps hold the layers together and prevents the bars from falling apart.
- When cutting, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and then dried to make a clean cut. The layers can be sticky.
Ed Matthews
Throw in some crunchy peanut butter and tiny marsh mellows would be nice.
Amanda Mason
Absolutely! Those would be some fun adds!
Jo
7 layers of goodness!!! I simply love all the ingredients and the bar looks crunchy, gooey delicious 😋