Magic Cookie Bars Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my magic cookie bars falling apart? ›

Why are my Magic Bars falling apart? It can really depend on a few things – how you layered them and how they baked. I like to use the condensed milk layer on top instead of over the graham cracker crumb layer like some other recipes because this helps to bind all the layers really well and stick together.

Traditional Magic Bars, also known as Hello Dolly Bars or 7 Layer Bars, are a layered dessert bar with a crumbly graham cracker crust, then topped with layers of butterscotch, coconut, chocolate, and nuts. Everything sticks together from gooey sweetened condensed milk that caramelizes on top when baked.

Once baked and cooled, the bars can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you live in a hot or humid climate, you can store them in the refrigerator. The bars also freeze really well, I love having a secret stash in my freeze. They will keep for up to 2 months.

As for “Magic Bar,” the name likely stems from Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, who published a recipe for these dessert cookie bars on the back of their condensed milk cans in 1964. Maybe it got its name from how magically easy they are to make!

Oven thermostats can change over time, requiring temperature adjustments by the baker or calibration by a professional. To assure the correct temperature each time you bake, always use an oven thermometer.

Re-baking will give us hard, brick-like cookies and bars. The other concern is the eggs. If the bars are so underbaked that the eggs are still raw, it's probably not a good idea to eat or even try to re-bake them if the bars have been sitting out for very long.

For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars.

Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months. Moist bars, such as cheesecake and lemon bars, can be refrigerated for seven days. For best quality, store bars in the freezer for two to three months.

Store cookie bars correctly

If your cookie bars contain any perishable ingredients—such as a cream cheese glaze—store them in the fridge. Test Kitchen Tip: If you can't keep your cookie bars in their original pan, slice them (here's how to cut dessert bars) and place them in an airtight container.

Hello Dolly Bars, also known as Magic Bars or 7-Layer Bars, get their name from the musical “Hello, Dolly!”. As a famously huge musical theater queen, this makes my heart sing. The musical and the bar were both popular in the 1950s, and the fact that they were conflated makes total sense.

Why is it called a Mansfield bar? ›

The tragic origin of the Mansfield bar

The Mansfield bar was created after the death of actress Jayne Mansfield, whose tragic end came at the horrifically young age of 34 when the car she and her children were riding in slammed into the rear of a semi truck.

The name "millionaire's shortbread" appears to have originated in Scotland. The "millionaire" prefix to millionaire's shortbread or millionaires slice implies a level of decadence and wealth to the sweet treat, that it is an upgrade from regular shortbread.

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Too much flour: If you add too much flour to your cookie dough, it will be dry and crumbly. Make sure to measure your flour correctly using a kitchen scale or by spooning it into your measuring cup and then leveling it off. Not enough fat: Fat helps to bind the ingredients together and make cookies chewy.

Not enough fat = wrong texture

A shortage of fat can be due to a bad recipe, under measuring the fat, or using the wrong kind of fat (see next tip, below). All will result in crumbly cookies. If all else fails, see if adding another tablespoon or two of [room temperature!] butter to your recipe helps.

If making a pie, run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust⁠—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you cut slices. For a baked dessert, pre-bake this crust per your filling recipe's directions.