Seven Layer Bars

These classic Seven Layer Bars are an easy treat everyone loves! With seven distinct layers, these little bars pack BIG flavor and texture — and best of all, they only take a few minutes to put together.

You’ll love these 7 Layer Bars

Old-fashioned seven layer bars go by many names: Magic bars, Hello Dolly bars, Magic cookie bars, 7 Layer cookies, and many more. No matter what you call them, chances are you’ve tasted these classic bar cookies at some point–they’re a time-honored favorite at picnics, potlucks, and holiday celebrations.

As the name suggests, these cookies have seven layers, although that makes them sound much more complicated than they are! There are many variations out there, but my preferred seven layers are:

1. Graham cracker crumb base
2. Walnuts
3. Chocolate chips
4. White chocolate chips
5. Butterscotch chips
6. Toasted coconut
7. Sweetened condensed milk

Simple, right? You know things are easy when we’re counting three different kinds of baking chips as three unique layers!

If you love the sound of these seven layer bars, you won’t want to miss my Salted Honey Walnut Bars, Coconut Brownies, or Dude Food Magic Bars (with pretzels and bacon!). These Brown Butter Brownies are also delightful!

Table of Contents

• You’ll love these 7 Layer Bars
• 🧾 What You’ll Need
• 📋 Instructions
• 💭 Variations
• 💡 Tips and FAQs  
• ❤️ More Cookie Bars You’ll Love
• Seven Layer Bars Recipe

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

To make these seven layer bars, you’ll want to pick up the following ingredients. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Sweetened flaked coconut: You can use either unsweetened or sweetened coconut. I prefer sweetened, since the sugar helps it crisp up and gives the bars a terrific crunchy texture.
• Graham crackers: Like many good bar cookies, the base starts with a delicious graham cracker crust. The graham crackers should be in very fine crumbs, so you’ll either want to use a food processor to make the crumbs, or buy a box of graham crumbs instead.
• Walnuts:I love the buttery crunch that toasted walnuts add, but pecans are also a good choice.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: What would cookie bars be without delicious chocolate chips? I recommend using either semi-sweet or dark chocolate; milk chocolate adds too much sugar to an already very sweet bar.
• White chocolate chips: The vanilla flavor of white chocolate chips is a good counterbalance to the dark chocolate.
• Butterscotch chips: Butterscotch chips can be found next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. No butterscotch? No problem! Swap in peanut butter chips or salted caramel chips instead.
• Sweetened condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk is the “magic” in these magic cookie bars. It’s poured over the top of all of the ingredients, and during the baking process, it sinks into the layers and binds everything together. Be sure you’re buying sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk–they’re often sold next to each other and the cans look similar, but only condensed milk will work in this recipe.

🥄 Equipment

Good news–not much special equipment needed here!

• 9×9 pan: I love to make my bars in a 9×9 pan, so they’re wonderfully thick, but you can use a 9×13″ pan if you want thinner bars.

📋 Instructions

How to Toast Coconut

My seven layer bars recipe starts with toasted coconut. This is an optional step, and not one that’s included in most other recipes. If you’re pressed for time, you can skip it and still make amazing bars.

However, if you have the time, I highly recommend giving it a try. I toast the coconut because it deepens the coconut flavor and adds a wonderful caramelized crunch to the bars. If you’re game, here’s what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spread the coconut out in an even layer on a baking sheet.
2. Bake the coconut for about 10-12 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes. It’s important to keep an eye on it and stir frequently, so it bakes evenly. When it’s a light golden color all over, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.

How to Make the Graham Cracker Crust

1. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl. Melt the butter, and pour it over the crumbs.
2. Stir the graham mixture until the butter is evenly distributed, and the crumbs have the texture of wet sand.

How to Assemble the 7 Layer Bars

It’s time to create some magic of our own! Here’s how these seven layer magic bars come together:

1. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom of a 9×9-inch pan.
2. Sprinkle the walnuts on top.
3. Add a generous layer of chocolate chips.
4. Cover with white chocolate chips.
5. Next, butterscotch chips. You know the drill!
6. Cover with the toasted coconut.
7. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the entire dish. Don’t worry if you miss a few spots–it will spread throughout the dish as the bars bake.
8. Bake until the top is browned and the sides are bubbling, about 30-35 minutes.

💭 Variations

You can always try a few fun twists on these bars! Here’s a few suggestions to get started with:

• For peanut butter lovers: Try subbing peanuts for walnuts, and Reese-s Pieces and PB chips for the white and butterscotch chips. Instead of coconut, consider using crushed pretzels to really hit those sweet and salty spots.
• For candy lovers: take inspiration from monster cookies, and swap in M&Ms, toasted oats, and pecan halves.
• For Oreo lovers: use Oreo crumbs in the crust, or take it even further by lining the bottom of the pan with Oreo halves. This version is delicious with marshmallows, chocolate, white chocolate, and crumbled Oreos on top.

💡 Tips and FAQs  

❤️ More Cookie Bars You’ll Love

• Dude Food Magic Bars
• Salted Honey Walnut Bars
• Twix Kat Candy Bars
• Cookies and Cream Oreo Bars
• Triple Chocolate Rocky Road Brownies
• Rosemary Almond Blondies
• Oreo Brookies