We’ve been eating Magic Cookie Bars since I was a kid, but not necessarily just at Christmas. I found handwritten versions of this recipe from Grandma Gunda and from my mom Myrna. I also found several clippings, sometimes using butterscotch chips as well and calling them “7 Layer Bars”. In the original clipping versions, the Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk is added right after the crust layer, and the ingredients have to be pushed down with a fork to make them stick. Our version, with the sweetened condensed milk added last, might not be quite as pretty, but it holds together really well and tastes great. I use fat free sweetened condensed milk, and I can’t tell the difference from the full fat version. But these bars are still not health food by any stretch of the imagination!
As for the taste, the kids and I love them, but Tim isn’t a fan. Which works out great for the rest of us because without Dad eating the bars, they last a lot longer.
Yes, I know you can find this recipe almost anywhere, but I’m including it here so the kids can remember our families’ Christmas cookie traditions.
Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter or margarine melted
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cups chocolate chips (or 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips)
- 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
- 1 1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour melted butter into a 9x13 inch baking pan and tilt the pan until the melted butter is evenly distributed around the bottom of the pan.
- Add the graham crackers, and press down into the butter to form a graham cracker crust. Add the other ingredients in the order above, one on top of the other.
- The sweetened condensed milk is the last layer and holds everything else together. Pour it evenly over the top of the other ingredients.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
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