Magic Cookie Bars

Name: Magic Cookie Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups honey or chocolate graham crackers, (crushed into crumbs (about 16 full sheets)); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ cup light brown sugar; ½ cup salted butter, (melted); 1 cup milk chocolate chips; 1 cup shredded sweet coconut; ¾ cup pecans, (chopped); 1⅔ cups sweetened condensed milk

These magic cookie bars are filled with sweet coconut, crunchy pecans, and delicious chocolate chips.

Jump to Recipe

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Servings

There’s a reason why magic cookie bars are a classic favorite—they’re deliciously rich, effortless, and loaded with layers of flavor. This recipe combines a buttery graham cracker crust, chocolate, coconut, and nuts in the perfect balance, creating a treat that’s hard to resist. These bars live up to their name—each bite is a little piece of magic.

Magic Cookie Bars stacked on top of each other

Let’s Dish: About These Dessert Bars

MAIN INGREDIENTS: salted butter, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, honey or chocolate graham crackers, milk chocolate chips, shredded sweet coconut, chopped pecans, sweetened condensed milk
QUICK STEPS: preheat oven and grease baking dish, mix graham crackers with vanilla, brown sugar, and melted butter, press into dish, layer chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans, pour sweetened condensed milk over layers, bake until lightly browned
TOTAL TIME AND YIELD: 40 minutes, yields 16 bars

Why This Recipe

Perfectly Balanced Layers: We’ve layered these bars with just the right amount of chocolate, coconut, and pecans, so every bite is balanced with flavor and texture—no ingredient overwhelms the others.
Quick and Simple Assembly: This recipe doesn’t require any special equipment or extra time. With easy layering and a simple mix-and-press crust, it’s accessible for everyone, even if you’re new to baking.
Guaranteed Crowd-Pleaser: Our recipe team perfected this dessert with gatherings in mind. It’s consistently a hit at potlucks, bake sales, and family get-togethers, which means you can count on these bars to disappear quickly from any dessert table.

magic cookie bars raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

2 cups of honey or chocolate graham crackers, crushed into crumbs (about 16 full sheets)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ cup of light brown sugar
½ cup of salted butter, melted
1 cup of milk chocolate chips
1 cup of shredded sweet coconut
¾ cup of chopped pecans
1⅔ cups of sweetened condensed milk

Magic Bars Substitutions And Additions

MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS: For this easy dessert, you could use different kinds of chocolate chips, including dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter, butterscotch chips, or white chocolate chips.

PECANS: If you don’t have pecans, you could use walnuts, pistachios, cashews, or macadamia nuts.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK: We like to use Eagle Brand condensed milk.

MARSHMALLOWS: These are optional but add a great chewy texture.

How To Make These 7 Layer Bars

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and melted butter. Stir until combined.

graham crackers, vanilla, light brown sugar, and melted butter stirred in a bowl

STEP THREE: Pour the graham cracker mixture into the baking dish. Use a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumb mixture down firmly in the bottom of the pan.

STEP FOUR: Sprinkle on a third of the chocolate chips, a third of the pecans, and a third of the shredded coconut. Repeat two times to create layers.

chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans sprinkled over the second layer in a baking dish

STEP FIVE: Pour the condensed milk on top.

sweetened condensed milk poured over the top layer in a baking dish

STEP SIX: Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.

PRO TIP: Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your bars as the suggested baking time approaches.

STEP SEVEN: Allow to cool completely, slice into bars, and serve.

PRO TIP: When cutting the bars, spray a chef’s knife with cooking spray and wipe with a paper towel. This prevents the magic cookies from sticking to the knife.

How To Serve This Magic Bars Recipe

These magic bars would be welcome any time of year. Perfect to serve for an afternoon snack along with a Wendy’s Frosty, or at a potluck along with our cherry Kool-Aid pie.

Treat bars like these are perfect for potlucks. For more potluck dessert bar ideas, take a look at our chocolate chip cheesecake bars and these scrumptious s’mores bars.

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Seven Layer Bars Storage Tips

IN THE FRIDGE: These gooey magic cookie bars can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

If it’s not too warm, you could keep them on the counter at room temperature for about three days.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze this delicious treat for up to three months in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Cut magic cookie bars, and one is turned on it's side to show the layers.

This is the best magic cookie bars recipe, and they are called ‘magic’ for a reason – because they’ll be gone in a matter of minutes! Luckily, there are so many magic cookie bar variations that you can enjoy making these treats again and again.

Can I freeze these bars?

Our seven layer magic cookie bars can be kept in the freezer for up to three months.

Can I add peanut butter to the bars?

If you’d like to add the delicious flavor of peanut butter, the easiest way would be to mix in peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips in this recipe.

More of the Easiest Desserts

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These magic cookie bars are filled with sweet coconut, crunchy pecans, and delicious chocolate chips.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

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Ingredients

2 cups honey or chocolate graham crackers, crushed into crumbs (about 16 full sheets)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ cup salted butter, melted
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup shredded sweet coconut
¾ cup pecans, chopped
1⅔ cups sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish. Set aside
In a mixing bowl, add crushed graham crackers, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, and melted butter. Stir to combine.
Pour into the 8×8 baking dish and press down firmly with your fingers. You might want to use something flat to really press the mixture down so the crust can set up.
Sprinkle ⅓ of the chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Repeat layers 2 more times.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the layers.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the coconut and edges are lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Video

Notes

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your bars as the suggested baking time approaches.
When cutting the bars, spray a chef’s knife with cooking spray and wipe with a paper towel. This prevents the magic cookies from sticking to the knife.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Sian Cox Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Amy Tandiko Graphic Designer
Ina Chong

Magic Cookie Bars