7 Layer Bars

Today hit a high of 50 degrees.  You’d think it was spring, based on all the people I saw wearing shorts and sweatshirts around downtown Portland.  It almost will be, since we dealt with freezing temperatures for about a month now.  20 degrees warmer and we’re pulling out the lighter gear and sunglasses! (Haha.  Seriously though, who are these people?)

The warmer weather must be messing with my brain, because I have had sudden urges to clean out my linen closet, pantry, and deep clean the laundry room.  That is where I remembered, as I was reorganizing and de-cluttering my pantry, that I had all the ingredients to make 7-layer bars.  It seemed fitting, and rewarding, after all the hard work to make these simply irresistible, and super addicting, bars.

These bars go by many different names–Hello Dolly Bars, Magic Bars, Layer Bars.  Whatever you want to call it, they are so delicious you’ll want to keep all the leftovers to yourself.  My two favorite things about this recipe (other than how utterly decadent these bars are): it comes together in less than 15 minutes and you can throw whatever sweetness you have in your pantry into the bars.  You can omit some ingredients and replace it with with more of what you do like.  But then I guess it wouldn’t be 7 layers, it’d be 5, or 2.  Anyway, they’re fantastic and you can call them whatever you’d like.  “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” right? Enjoy!

7-Layer Bars

print recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30-35 minutes

Serving: 12-15 squares

Crust:

½ c melted butter

2 c crushed graham crackers

Filling:

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c dark chocolate chips (or butterscotch)

1 c white chocolate chips

1 c chopped walnuts

1 c shredded coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13-inch pan with spray.  In a bowl, mix the melted butter and crushed graham crackers.  Press evenly into the pan.

Layer each part of the filling evenly, making sure to end with the shredded coconut.  Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the bars.  (It acts as the “glue” which holds all the ingredients together.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the coconut begins to brown and the chips are starting to come together.  Let cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days.