Magic Cookie Bars from EAGLE BRAND

These are fabulous. However, I increased the crust to 2 1/2 cups of crumbs and added a little more butter to the original recipe. I also added 1/2 cup of white choco-chips and reduced the amount of nuts. It really has to cool before being cut or it makes a mess. They freeze very well, especially if left uncut.

I volunteered to bring something for our annual Christmas bazaar for church - even though I don't bake much any more. These were so easy to make! I used the version with 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 butterscotch. The ladies in the kitchen that were packaging the baked goods tasted them and said they were great. It seems that a lot of people know what they are because they sold right away. If you want better directions for the same recipe look for the site that says 7 layer Magic Bars by Eagle brand - they seem to have improved the directions for that recipe.

This has always been a favorite of mine since I was young. When I left the States in 1974 and settled in Australia my biggest problem was that I couldn't get graham crackers, so I substituted a "Coffee" biscuit. This worked fine. The only other change I make is to pour the condensed milk over all the layers just before I put it in the oven. This seems to bind everything together and the top then turns a lovely golden brown when cooked. This is always a hit at any gathering.

My kids went crazy for these, very sweet and chocolately. The crust was a little tricky for me though, I don't understand why the butter needs to be melted in the oven? Next time I'll just put it in the microwave, mix in the crumbs and press into the pan:)

Pretty good. Next time I will mix the butter and crumbs together and press into the pan to prevent it from crumbling. I also should have waited until they had chilled before slicing into them, they would have held their shape a little better.

Made the recipe AS-IS, and am rating it as such! People shouldn't rate their own recipe variations, it defeats the purpose since you aren't actually rating the recipe (steps off soap box, lol). That being said: I actually found this recipe on the back of the Eagle Brand condensed milk and decided to make it. The second time around I did make some changes: 1. It says to smash everything down with a fork. Well, when I did it the first time it looked nothing like the pictures, more like smashed-flat bars. So this time around I saved about 1/4 cup of coconut flakes and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips at the end. I smashed the rest of it down with my hands (not a fork), and then LOOSELY layered the remaining coconut and chocolate chips. Looked picture-perfect! 2. The recipe says to pour evenly, but of course be sure to use a spatula to make sure the condensed milk is TRULY even. 3. Put the nuts UNDERNEATH the coconut/chocolate layers to keep them from 'roasting'. You want them baked instead. 4. When doing the crumbs, the first time I left quite a few 'large chunks' in there. Bad idea. Make sure to smash those graham crackers down so they are like sand particles, as tiny as can be!! The second time around I smashed them a lot more and it was a lot easier to spread (put them in a baggie and smash away if you don't have a chopper). 5. Melt butter in a pot then add the crumbs, works perfect. Best of luck! :)

To make clean up even easier, melt the stick of butter in the preheating oven right in the 9x14 pan you are going to use to bake the squares in. Then just add the crumbs to the pan and mix and press.....no other mixing bowl needed. This also eliminates the step of greasing the pan.

Great recipe, easy to make, but I would like to point out that the amount of graham cracker crumbs is in no way enough for a 13x9 pan (which is strange, because the rest of the recipe seems to be for that size except the crust). It's enough for a 9x9. So if you want to make it better, use at least 2 cups of crumbs (2.5 would be perfect I think) and I would use just a tiny bit more butter, not to scale because the way the recipe is originally makes for a VERY greasy crust and that's not great, nor does it hold together very well. Another big tip: premix all the ingredients that go on the crust in advance, then spread them over. It makes for a more uniform filling and easier to spread over the crust.

I made this recipes with 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 reeses peanut butter morsels mix and it was outstanding. I also found it helpful to press down on the bars with a spatula before baking, this makes it settle better. For a quick clean up, line the pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with PAM.

When I started helping my mom make these bars 40 years ago, they were called, Dippy-Chippy Bars and everyone LOVED them!! The crust was much easier back then as the recipe called for the Graham crackers to be left whole and fitted into the bottom of the pan. Then melted butter was poured over the top. The rest of the recipe was the same and used butterscotch chips as well. When the bars were done, you did not notice any gaps left by mis-matched cracker edges as the condensed milk and butter settles into the crackers and makes this wonderful carmelish glue that holds it all together!! Much easier than messing with crumbs!

This has been a holidy favorite in my family since I can remember. The only thing we do differently is that we put all the "toppings" in and then drizzle the condensed milk over the whole pan before baking. It seems to help glue all those chips together, and makes the bars less crumbly.

I found when I poured the condensed milk on the graham cracker crumbs, that the first time when I tried to spread it, it just made a mess. The second time, I poured the condensed milk out of the can and spread it by pouring it in strips kind of, and it spread out on its own. This method worked much better than trying to spread it!

I just think these cookies have way too many chocolate chips. If you reduce the chocolate chips to 1 and 1/4 cups it is much better and then worthy of five stars, but not as is.

Loved this recipe!...was a hit with family and friends. Increased the butter to 3/4 cup and the cracker crumbs to 2 1/4 cups for a 13x9 dish and that made a nice thick base which was easy to pack down and cut with out crumbling.

Here is how I made these and they turned out Excellent. I used 2c of cracker crumbs, 1/2c butter (melted and mixed w/crumbs) pressed into a lined (parchment) 13x9. I then used half a bag of Butterscotch chip however I used my food processor to size them down to a crumb slightly chunky mixture so they wouldn't be too overpowering and sweet. I put the condensed milk into the microwave to warm for 15 seconds, with this thinned warmed milk i poured half onto the crust, then put on the mini semi sweet chips (half bag) the crumbly butterscotch chips, on top of the chips I drizzled some of the milk then applied the coconut to the top of that to give something to adhere too. I pressed this all down and then added the rest of the milk to the top of the coconut. Last I added a light sprinkling of coconut to the top (I love the browned toasted coconut) and a few scatters of mini chips. Baked 325 (glass pan) for 25 minutes, let cool 2 hours. Perfect and each bar was not filled with an overwhelming butterscotch or chocolate taste, perfect blend! Wonderful

No need for the extra graham cracker crumbs-- Use the suggested crust, then mix together the chocolate chips, coconut and nuts (I use pecans) spread the mixture evenly over the crust and lastly drizzle the can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. Done this way, the recipe comes out perfectly. Yes, definitely let it cool and chill before cutting.

This definitely is an old fasioned favorite! And, there's really virtually nothing you can do to screw it up. It's not like there's any complicated directions or measuring here. It's straightforward and all the ingredients come together to compliment each other. I crushed my graham crackers by putting them into a ziploc bag and going over them with a rolling pin. I used a throw away tin to bake these in that I sprayed with a little Pam. I follwed the recipe exactly and you can substitute white chocolate chips or butterscotch for half the amount of semisweet chocolate if you want to change it up a bit. These were so easy and oh so delectable!

Words cannot express how much I LOVE these bars. My mom and I first made them almost 20 years ago and since I've been old enough to bake on my own, I can only let myself make them at Christmas, too dangerous to have around the house more often. Even my brother who doesn't really like coconut eats too many of these. Just one little tip to share - on the tattered ripped-out-of-a-magazine copy of this recipe that I have, the method is very slightly different. It calls for the putting the 1/2 cup butter in the pan and sticking it in the hot oven to melt, then sprinkling the crumbs over the melted butter, mixing together and patting down to form the crust. Really doesn't make a difference to the finished product but saves using another dish to melt the butter in and mix the crumbs in, and no need to grease the pan.

This is a recipe my grandma used, but there is a slight issue with the ordering. My grandma always poured the butter in the bottom of the pan first to grease it and just poured the graham crackers on top and pushed down with a fork. Then she would put down the morsels, then the nuts, and then the coconut. Finally she would pour the sweetened condensed milk over top of it all and bake it till golden brown. They were so good. The way posted here was not as well stuck together. It tended to fall apart more than I would have liked, but overall still a good recipe.

This is a recipe from my childhood! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that one step seemed off from the way my mom and grandma always did it, but I followed the recipe anyway...mistake. DO NOT add the milk until last step, pour it over ALL the ingredients, not just the crust...doing it this way binds it all together, following the recipe as listed makes the crust mushy and leaves all the toppings loose and crumbly.

Absolutely excellent! I didn't change anything. I typically use half walnuts, half pecans and it comes out amazing. If you want a crisper, more substantial crust, I would do one and half times the cookie crumbs (and add some extra butter). Right now, the crust is pretty thin and comes out more like a chewy cookie layer than a crust. That's completely preference though. The recipe is fine just the way it is. The only problem is that you'll want to eat the whole pan in one sitting!

These bars are wonderful, they turn out every time. WONDERBAR........YUMMERS!

I double this recipe. After the first layer I start over starting with the graham cracker crust. Way more calories, but man are they good! My mom made them for me when I was a little girl and now I have been making them for about 25 years! It is my favorite holiday desert.

This is a good recipe if you do the following: --use unsalted butter (the salt in the butter comes out too much) --don't forget to press everything firmly before pouring condensed milk --split the condensed milk half over crumb base and other half over all ingredients. (don't pour all at the end as others have suggested, you need to adhere the bottom and the top layer --increase the crumbs to about 2 1/2 --wait until it's cooled entirely before cutting The base is pretty crumbly still, not sure how to keep it firm.

I've been making these for years and they are always a huge hit-

This recipe is nostalgic...and devine. Making magic layer cookie bars is an art of its own kind. First, let me start by saying I have always eaten the variation kind, where 1 cup of chocolate chips is substituted with butterscoth. The substitution adds so much more depth and chemistry to the bar. It ties with the coconut like a match made in heavena and keeps the flavor from being a monotonous overpowering chocolate. Secondly, the crust is a holy layer in itself. DO NOT cut the bars when they are hot. You will create a DISASTER. Chill the bars in the fridge for a while and the crust will be firm, still delicate, but not rock hard. Overall, the combination of sweet, creamy and just slightly salty is an amazing experience. The textures as well are insane.

These magic bars/hello dolly bars have been a Christmas family tradition ever since I can remember & I'm a 60s child! From my experience....Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in the pan in the oven AND then press the graham cracker crumbs into the melted butter ***skip the foil*** I prefer the combination 1 cup of dark chocolate and 1 cup peanut butter chips. Also use chopped mixed nuts instead of the walnuts. These pass the "yum" test !

Always perfect and sinfully decadent.

I have been baking these bars for over 30 years. Delicious! Last year I added a sprinkling of the holiday red and green M&M's to make it look "Christmasy".

this is an awesome recipe i have used for years. the thing loved most about THIS one is the advice from others. here's what i did: i added another 1/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup crumbs and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the crust. i lined my dish with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. i used semi-sweet, bittersweet, peanut butter and butterscotch chips. i finely chopped (not to dust!) the nuts. i pressed/packed everything down before baking. when finished baking, i let it cool completely and then put into the fridge to harden. THEN, i cut into diamonds. NO MESS! nothing fell apart and the nuts and coconut were perfect. my son said it was my best version, and everyone at the bbq he took them to loved them! thanks so much everyone for working together. imagine what we all could do on bigger issues!!

I have been making this recipe for over 20 years. Adults and children love them. Everyone who tries them wants the recipe and can't get over how easy it is to make. I use to make two pans of them for office during the holidays they would last maybe 15 minutes they were always the first item on the tray of goodies to disappear. Everyone would ask me if there were anymore of them. I highly recommend this recipe. I have tried all kinds of different variations of this recipe they are all good. Rating 5 plus stars

I have made this recipe many times and it always turned out great. However, this time I followed this recipe which says to pour the condensed milk over the graham cracker crumbs and then follow with chips, coconut, etc. I wound up with cookies that are falling apart. The correct way is to assembled the bars and then pour the milk over the top.

Great, classic recipe that's been a huge favorite for probably millions of people for just as many years! This is a recipe you'll go back to over and over again. It's, quick, easy, and delicious with a fantastic blend of flavors.

A cookie swap must! These go faster tban lightening!! Variations: use white choclate with dollups of raspberry preserves, or I use an oreo cookie base with peppermint oil added. Another, use bittersweet chips to play off the richness and add depth to chocolate flavor.

We didn't care for this one at all. It just tasted like melted chocolate chips stuck on top of a buttery layer (which is pretty much what it was). Over the top rich and nothing special to us.

LOVE THESE! Two hints for making it easier. Melt the butter in the pan and then stir the graham crackers crumbs in. Then you don't mess up another pot or pan. Also, add the sweetened condensed milk last. This helps stick everything together and doesn't make the crust soggy.

This recipe was so simple and very delicious!

easy to make. Taste really good. Just make sure they are totally cold before removing from the pan or you could have a mess on your hands.

This recipe calls for too much coconut flakes. I didn't use all it called for and it was still too much: it's all I really tasted. They hold up good and look nice, but if you used all the coconut it requires you might not enjoy them as much as you would if you scaled it back a bit.

Pretty easy to make and delicious. What more can I say?

These bars are fabulous and oh-so rich!! I have been making these for years and my family just loves them! They are best with 1 bag each of butterscotch chips and chocolate chips. Yum!

This recipe was passed to me by my sister-in-law and are a holiday staple. One slight difference though, I add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips. Chopped walnuts are the nut of choice for me. They are so rich and delicious. And extremely easy to make. A big hit every time!

Favorite for many years and many to come! Thanks many times for the recipe!

Super sweet and decadent. What's not to love?

Only one word came out of the mouths of my guests last night: yummmmm! These are just like the bars my grandmother made and I had no idea the recipe would be right under my nose this entire time. I am happy to add this to my recipe collection and make them time and time again!!!!

As amazing as I remember!

My family and friends would give this 10 stars. Very rich candy cookie. We left out coconut, used milk chocolate chips and added a few more finally chopped pecans. Could not make them fast enough.

These are so good! They don't last long in my house. In fact won't be making them very often to prevent weight gain! ha ha

Hands down the fastest, easiest, knock 'em dead recipe you'll find!

Love this treat. I put the the chips down, then the nuts, then coconut, and do the condensed milk last. And as others have said, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and pat down.

I find that if you us your food processor for the coconut, it makes it easyer to cut and eat. best recipe for this cookie or the hello dollys same cookie

YUMMY!! These are really really yummy. Perfect for christmas, we sometimes add some butterscotch chips in there too, thanks for sharing, awesome recipe!

The first time my mom made these for me was in the 5th grade (1989!). We've made these ever since - usually for special occasions (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Eid) or any sort of potluck. These are truly a favorite classic. I've always mixed the melted butter and graham crackers and pressed them down (pack it tight) so that it's not crumbly. Sometimes I'll add all the chocolate chips, nuts and coconut first, then add the condensed milk, sometimes I'll do it the other way around. Make sure to push the goodies down with a fork if you put the condensed milk down first. I haven't found a difference in taste/texture/ooziness etc. like some people claim. I do like to use a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate and I like to mix all the chips, nuts and coconut flakes in a bowl first then sprinkle on top of my bars. I don't know if it evenly distributes the stuff, but I like to think it does :)

One of our favorite picnic desserts. This is not the original recipe though -- original calls for adding the condensed milk LAST. Do it! You won't be disappointed.

I melt the butter in the pan in the oven and add the graham cracker crumbs right in the pan. This is the best and easiest dessert ever! My mom used to make these when I was a child. And I'm old now!

Orgasmic.

Yum, came out just like when I was a kid! I followed the tip to mix the crumbs & butter in the pan on the stove before transferring to the pan- I had done recipes in the past that said to sprinkle it on & always had problems w/ the crust. I omitted nuts & added some toffee bits for a little extra flavor.

Amazing but I used low fat sweetened condensed milk to make it less fattening.

This has been a family favorite for years!!! I like it better though with Milk Cholately morsels instead of semi-sweet...and I also throw on some butterscotch chips. They're amazing!!!

good easy classic! I did what the others suggested & mixed together the chocolate nuts and coconut before putting them on the top. I brought them to school and all my teacher loved them!!

I've been making these for years... one of my favorites! A couple of hints - put stick of butter in pan, in oven, while preheating. Butter melts directly in pan. Then sprinkle Graham crumbs over melted butter. Saves dirtying another pan or dish! Second, my original recipe said to pour milk over everything, as last layer. I think all the other ingredients stick together better when the milk is poured on top and runs down through everything.

I LOVE these cookies! Have been making them since I was a kid. Definitely use real butter with the graham cracker crumb crust. I melt the butter in the pan in the oven as it preheats. No need for cooking spray! Then just sprinkle the crumbs into the melted butter and continue on with your layers!

I love these bars! They are wonderful!

Just tried this recipe. Excellent!

I melt the butter in the 9 x 13 dish while I am crushing the graham crackers. Then add the graham crackers to the butter, mix together add chips, coconut and nuts and add the sweetened condensed milk last it's better that way. This way it settles through all of the items not just the crust on the bottom.

i JUST finished making these for a super bowl party.....they are soooo yummy they might last until party time! added benifit - my house smells amazing ;o)

I made this for my middle school students and they all LOVED it. They literally devoured whatever morsel was left. Very easy and definitely a kid pleaser!

I grew up with my mom making these and came on here for the recipe because she requested them for Thanksgiving and making them at 0130 in the morning I couldn't call her for the recipe. We leave out the nuts for nut-haters and they still taste great. When people want my mom to bring a dessert they request this one, even though she has no problem/is capable at making much more involved and complicated cookies and bars. This has graced my family's table as long as I can remember and it works very, very well for us. Thanks Eagle Brand :)

I make a bar like this but i put the milk on last over everything,it makes it really good

Graham cracker crust needs to be doubled to fit well in a 13x9 pan. I doubled it and ended up then doubling the amount of sweetened condensed milk as well because I thought they were going to turn out "thin" overall. They turned out great! Used both semi-sweet and butterscotch chips.

Made as directed. Very, very yummy and very, very moreish :)

Very good! It's true - add what you like - cannot go wrong.

Fantastical and amazing... love them

It's a keeper. Made it for a church cookie reception, but without nuts due to allergy restrictions. The bars disappeared just the same.

I have been making this for years...with a little twist. Instead of using graham wafer crumbs, I use Oreo cookie crumbs. This gets rave reviews whenever I make it!

So easy and very yummy!

Whats not to love? I used extra graham cracker crumbs and butter because I thought the bottom layer was a little too thin. I also used a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. These bars are so easy and yet they receive rave reviews every time. I also line my baking dish with aluminum foil which is then sprayed with non-stick spray. It makes it a snap to remove the bars from the pan and then to cut into perfect pieces.

love love love these!! its a must to add butterscotch chips to these though..

mmm, delicious. Decreased the butter to 1/4 cup and used 3/4 cup milk choco chips and 1/2 cup butterscotch. Topped with mini marshmellows then drizzled with the swettened condensed milk. After baking drizzled with melted semi-sweet chocolate (like from the Rocky Road Bar from this site). Awesome:)

super good and easy!!!

These cookie bars are incredible. I make them a couple times around Christmas and people never fail to ask for the recipe. (Even though I know that this recipe has been around for YEARS.) I always double the graham cracker bottom to make a sturdier bottom for the rest of the cookie. I have been known to use peanuts in place of the nuts called for in the recipe.

Too sweet as is. Better with half the choc chips, and unsweetened coconut. I use coconut biscuits for crust.

Another good variation, especially for Christmas, is to use white chocolate, dried cranberries, and sliced almonds for the toppings. Really good and festive looking. Also, when I need a variety of cookies, I will make one half the pan the traditional way, and the other half as above, or with butterscotch chips and walnuts. Two cookie bars for the price of one.

These bars are awesome. You can use any kind of biscuits/crackers for the base layer. After these, you won't want to buy store candy bars anymore!

These are great! Easy and delicious. I get asked for these all the time. I forgot to pour the Eagle milk at the right moment one time and just poured it on at the end (before baking) and we liked it better that way so that's how I do it now.

I remember having these as a kid and absolutely loving them. They're very sweet, but good if you're into that. I think they could've stayed in the oven a little longer, but they still came out well.

I am really confused. 1.5 cups of graham crackers IMO will not fit into a 13x9 pan. Am I supposed to add more graham cracker crumbs? Also, it turned out to be gooey and mushy, which wasn't bad, but not hard like a COOKIE bar, which was what I expected. I wanted to put flour in it or something lol. Maybe I did it wrong, but I just did what the recipe called for. And I only put half of the condensed milk bc one full can is WAY TOO MUCH without weighing down the meager amount of crumbs unless that's what you're supposed to do. Just wasn't sure about this one but I did get lots of compliments and it went nicely w/ a bundt cake. Any suggestions??

You need one and a half sleeves of graham crackers.

WHOO, SUGAR RUSH! These are so, so delicious - where have they been all my life? I made the 7 layer version with butterscotch chips. I did find the crust to be oily, so next time I'll either decrease the butter or increase the graham crumbs. These are super rich, so small squares are best!

These is such an easy recipe... I love it... They are good and are such a hit anywhere I take them!

So simple and so good. I make a bunch of "treats" around the holidays for my family and friends. These are always in my box. Everyone loves them and they are the easiest things I make. I normally don't worry about measuring the nuts or coconut I just make sure the pan is evenly covered. Wonderful.

These bars have always been one of my favorites, now with a son who is allergic to all milk products I have become the improv queen....Dairy free version is outstanding!!!! I use homemade sweetened condensed milk or Coco Lopez cream of coconut, Sunspire chocolate chips(dairy free) and unsalted Fleishman's margarine is dairy free!! No one ever knows they are milk free.

Cannot go wrong with these! Kids and adults love them and even the kids will eat the nuts!!!

This is the most addicting cookie bar I have ever had. I will substitute butterscotch chips and milk chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips. It is an easy recipe and it doesn't take long to make.

i don't like coconut very much, but these always taste great.

I used caramel discs (made for covering apples) as a layer. I used 4 discs and cut them to fit the pan evenly. Delicious!!!!

My grandma gave me a recipe just like this one. So I made this to see if it tasted just as delicious as hers, and it did! Be warned, these tasty treats are addicting, especially when served cold. These desserts are no less than amazing!

My mother has made these cookies at Christmas time for many, many years. Now I makde them too for my own family. You can't go wrong with making and sharing these tasty treats!

I have been making these layered bar cookies for my son since he was 8 or 9 years old. He is now turning 30 in January and he is engaged to be married! He is still asking for them. This year I am teaching my beautiful future daughter in-law how to make them a long with other Christmas treats that have been a tradition in our house for many years. Nicole, (my future DIL) has never had any Christmas traditions growing up. Her beautiful eyes keep lighting up like a little girl. ***These cookies are spectacular. I have never changed how I have made them in the 25 plus years I have made them for Christmas.