Magic Bars Recipe - Joyofbaking.com

Magic Bars, also known as Hello Dollys, live up to the adage that bar cookies are the easiest of all the cookies to make. This recipe, or maybe we shouldn't even call it a recipe as it is so little work, is just about layering and baking six ingredients; melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sweetened coconut, chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and a can of sweetened condensed milk (in that order). No mixing, no fussing, and what's best of all is that you don't have to sacrifice flavor for lack of work. While not much to look at, these bars are rich, sweet, sticky, and absolutely delicious. Magic Bars only seem to get better tasting after a day or two in the refrigerator, so you may want to add this recipe to your Christmas baking repertoire or keep them in mind for the next time you need to make something for a bake sale or potluck supper. ??

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Sweetened condensed milk is what binds all the dry ingredients together in these Magic Bars. It is made from a mixture of whole milk and sugar that has had about 60 percent of its water removed. Its consistency is?thick and sticky (like honey) and it is very sweet tasting. It is most often used in baked goods and it takes on a lovely caramel flavor and color when baked. To give you a small bit of history, condensed milk was the result of Gail Borden's (1801-1874) determination to invent a milk that could be stored and distributed over long distances. At the time of its invention (1856) milk was not pasteurized so it was difficult to keep it fresh and free of germs. After Borden received a patent on his invention he starting producing condensed milk, but it wasn't until it became standard issue for the troops during the Civil War that it really gained popularity.

Finally, these Magic Bars can magically turn into Seven Layer Magic Bars, just by adding one cup (170 grams) of butterscotch chips to the recipe. Layer the butterscotch chips after the chocolate chips.

Magic Bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven.?Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm)?square baking pan.?

Melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of your pan. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter. Sprinkle the coconut over the crumbs. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the coconut. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate chips. Finally, drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over all the ingredients. Do not mix the ingredients together, just layer them.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the squares comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator. These bars can be frozen.

Makes about 16 - 2 inch squares.

Sources:

O'Neill, Molly. 'New York Cookbook'. Workman Publishing Company, Inc. New York: 1992.

Peery, Susan Mahnke. 'The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook'. A Fireside Book. New York: 1986.

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups (150 grams) graham cracker crumbs

1 1/3 cups (90 grams) sweetened flaked or shredded coconut

1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (100 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans

1 - 14 ounce (396 grams) can of sweetened condensed milk

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