Christmas Magic Cookie Bars
Christmas Magic Cookie Bars are rich, yet delicious with a buttery graham cracker crust layered with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut flakes then topped off with red and green m&m’s. Baked to golden perfection, they make for the perfect holiday treat.
I know what are you thinking, Christmas already? I am 100% with you on that BUT in the blogging world you have to be a season ahead or google just ignores you. So, I apologize in advance. However, making these bars was the perfect treat this week when we had some of the craziest thunderstorms I have ever seen here in San Diego. These bars have so many different names; layer magic bars, hello dolly bars, 7-layer bars, magic cookie bar recipe, all I know is this easy recipe is one of my favorite things when it comes to Christmas dessert recipes! I should also mention, I had a hard time finding the holiday m&m’s so I had to purchase the regular pack and pick out all of the green and red ones. I may or may not have eaten all the other colors.
Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for more amazing Christmas cookie recipes from my very talented blogging friends!
I know most use nuts and I love nuts, just not in my cookies but please go ahead and add them if you would like. You can try walnuts, pecans, peanuts, or cashews. If you are not a fan of dark chocolate, use white chocolate chips. I love that you can add or change the ingredients to your family’s favorites for this easy holiday dessert. They are so incredibly simple, you can’t mess them up.
Perfect with a cold glass of milk!
How to Store Them:
You don’t need to refrigerate 7 layer bars. There is nothing in them that requires refrigeration. But you might like them better chilled.
Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container. They’ll keep on the counter for about 5 days in cooler temps. If you do refrigerate them they will last for about a week
If you want your bars to look picture perfect:
Line your pan with parchment paper, this makes it so much easier when you are taking the bars out to cut.
Put the bars in the fridge for at least an hour after they have cooled off before cutting.
Wait to add your M&M’s until the last 5 minutes of baking if you want those colors to really pop. Or you could sprinkle a few mini M&M’s over the top after they are done baking.
Want to get ahead of your Christmas Baking?
Freeze them! Make sure you cool the Christmas magic bars before freezing, lay them flat, and don’t cut them. They will freeze for up to 3 months.
Christmas Magic Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9x13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Salted Melted Butter
- 1 1/2 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk Carnation or eagle brand
- 1 Cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Cup Butterscotch Chips
- 1 Cup Holday M &M's
- 1 Cup Coconut Flakes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 Degrees
- Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
- Remove the butter from heat and stir in graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the graham cracker mix onto the bottom of the pan. (A rubber spatula is helpful when pressing it down)
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the graham cracker mixture. If needed, use a spatula to spread it to the edges of the pan.
- Sprinkle the Coconut Flakes, Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips and M&M’s over the condensed milk
- Gently press your ingredients into the condensed milk, it will hold everything together.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until edges are golden brown and the middle is set.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing, about 2 hours.
- Enjoy!
These Christmas bars would be so fun to bring to a cookie exchange or a Christmas party displayed on a Christmas cookie tray. It’s such a classic dessert with so many tasty ingredients, and they will be gobbled up in no time.
I’m thrilled to be joining my talented blogger’s friends to bring you more amazing Christmas cookies. Please check out all of their recipes below!
Chalking Up Success made the gorgeous chocolate-dipped Christmas tree cookies decorated with white chocolate, pistachios and freeze-dried raspberries look impressive but are very easy to make. Your family and friends will love to receive these cookies as homemade Christmas gifts – that’s if you can bear to give them away in the first place!
Thanks for the recipe! They look delicious and I’ll bet they cheered everyone up during the storms! Hope you all got through them OK!
Thank you Jayne, it was a fun lightening storm to watch.
These look so delicious. Who doesn’t like a cookie with lots of chocolate?
Thank you so much Janet!
These loook so good. I will have to tie my husband’s handss together while making these because he will et the M&M’s before I get started!
Pinned!
Ha ha 🙂
Thank you for stopping by Cindy!
Thanks for sharing your recipe, Kristin. My family will LOVE these. AND, thank your for the tips on storing and/or freezing them. Happy Baking!
Yum, I love these cookies and the addition of red and green M & M’s makes them so festive for Christmas. I cannot wait to make these for Christmas.
Merry Christmas,
Kippi
Kristin, I LOVE bar cookies, especially when there is coconut included! I don’t care for nuts in my cookies, either. These are my kind of cookie, for sure! I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Pinned!
Thank you so much, Rebecca!
Thank you so much REbecca