Christmas magic bars, 7-layer bars, miracle bars, coconut dream bars, no matter what you call them, these holiday dessert bars are delicious! With layers of graham crackers, butter, butterscotch chips, coconut, pecans, sweetened condensed milk, and festive red and green M&M's candies, these bars have it all. They make a great addition to any Christmas party or holiday dessert spread!
Best Christmas 7-Layer Bars Recipe
If you are looking for an easy Christmas dessert that will please a crowd, these Christmas magic bars are just the thing. They are delightfully chewy and with 24 servings everyone can get a bite!
There are 7 tasty layers to these bars: butter, graham crackers, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, pecans, sweetened condensed milk, and M&Ms. It's one of my favorite holiday dessert recipes because they are simple to make but hard to resist!
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If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, be sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, cakes, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Ingredients For Christmas Magic Bars
These bars are made with 7 inexpensive ingredients. If you are not a fan of butterscotch, you can easily swap the butterscotch chips for white chocolate or milk chocolate!
- Graham Cracker Crumbs - 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (roughly 16 crushed graham crackers).
- Butter - ½ cup of melted unsalted butter.
- Butterscotch Chips - 1 cup of butterscotch chips.
- Shredded Coconut - 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut.
- Pecans - 1 cup of pecans, walnuts, or almonds chopped or crushed.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (1 14-ounce can).
- M&Ms - 1 cup of red and green Christmas M&M candies (divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup portions).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Christmas Magic Bars
There's very little prep for this recipe, just assemble the layers and bake! You will need a 9x13 baking pan, measuring utensils, a Ziploc bag, and a mixing bowl.
One 9x13 pan of magic bars will make 24 squares, though you can always cut them larger!
Making Christmas Magic Bars
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease or line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Crush graham crackers. Place about 16 graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and seal it closed. Use your hands or a rolling pin to crush the crackers to make 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs.
- Mix with butter. Add the crushed graham crackers to a mixing bowl and pour in ½ a cup of melted butter. Use a fork to mix them together completely.
- Form crust layer. Transfer the buttered graham cracker crumb mixture into your prepared baking pan and use your fingers to press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Assemble. Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of butterscotch chips over the graham cracker layer, then add 1 cup of shredded coconut followed by 1 cup of chopped pecans and ¾ of the holiday M&M's. Lastly, pour 14 ounces (1 can) of sweetened condensed milk over everything as evenly as possible, using a spatula to spread the milk if needed.
- Bake. Place your bars on the center of the middle rack in your oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) until they turn golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Cool. Remove from oven and gently press the remaining ¼ cup of red and green M&M's candies into the top of the bars. Let them cool completely before slicing or serving.
These Christmas 7-layer bars are one of my favorite easy Christmas desserts that I make every year. I hope your friends and family love them just as much as mine do! Enjoy!
💭 Tips & Notes
- A ½ cup of butter is equal to 1 stick or 8 tablespoons.
- To add extra flavor, toast your pecans in a skillet for 2-3 minutes on low heat. You can also bake them on a cookie sheet at 350℉ (176℃) for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently so they don't burn.
- For easy removal, I highly recommend lining your pan with parchment paper. This makes it much easier to slide the whole slab of bars out of the pan at once.
🥡 Storing
Keep your Christmas magic bars in an airtight container for up to 4 days or refrigerate them for up to a week.
Freezing Christmas Magic Bars
Your magic bars won't freeze totally solid, so be sure to place parchment paper between the bars. Wrap them in foil or place them into a freezer bag or freezer storage container for up to 3 months. To thaw them out, just set them on the counter at room temperature.
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❓ FAQ
The name was coined by Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk when they added the recipe to the back of their cans in 1964. The magic is in how these simple layers turn into such a tasty dessert bar with so little effort!
Yes! Because these bars won't harden too much, they are equally delicious cold. You can make and freeze them for up to 3 months or refrigerate them for up to a week and eat them right out of the fridge. If you prefer them at room temperature, just set them out on the counter for an hour before serving.
Most graham crackers are not gluten-free. However, you can purchase gluten-free graham crackers. If using gluten-free graham crackers, the remaining ingredients do not include gluten so you can totally enjoy these dessert bars with that one small caveat.
😋 More Dessert Bars
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars - Tasty dessert bars with a sugar cookie base and sweet vanilla buttercream!
- Pumpkin Streusel Bars - Creamy pumpkin filling topped off with a crumbly cinnamon streusel.
- Blackberry Pie Bars - Sweet dessert bars with all the flavor of a homemade blackberry pie.
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars - All the classic components of pecan pie are made into chocolatey dessert bars!
- 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars - Sweet and citrusy lemon bars that couldn't be easier to make!
- Chocolate Chip Maraschino Cherry Almond Bars - Fudgy dessert bars with juicy Maraschino cherries mixed in!
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📖 Recipe Card
Christmas Magic Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 graham crackers crushed)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup pecans (or walnuts, or almonds, chopped or crushed)
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 14 ounce can)
- 1 cup Christmas M&M candies (divided into ¾ cup and ¼ cup portions)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease or line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the graham crackers in a Ziploc bag and seal it closed. Use your hands or a rolling pin to crush the crackers.2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- Add the crushed graham crackers to a mixing bowl and pour in the melted butter. Use a fork to mix them together completely.½ cup unsalted butter
- Transfer the buttered graham cracker crumb mixture into your prepared baking pan and use your fingers to press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Evenly sprinkle the butterscotch chips over the graham cracker layer, then add the shredded coconut followed by chopped pecans and ¾ of the holiday M&M's. Lastly, pour the sweetened condensed milk over everything as evenly as possible, using a spatula to spread the milk if needed.1 cup butterscotch chips, 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, 1 cup pecans, 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup Christmas M&M candies
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) until they turn golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and gently press the remaining ¼ cup of red and green M&M's candies into the top of the bars. Let them cool completely before slicing or serving.1 cup Christmas M&M candies
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- A ½ cup of butter is equal to 1 stick or 8 tablespoons.
- To add extra flavor, toast your pecans in a skillet for 2-3 minutes on low heat. You can also bake them on a cookie sheet at 350℉ (176℃) for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently so they don't burn.
- For easy removal, I highly recommend lining your pan with parchment paper. This makes it much easier to slide the whole slab of bars out of the pan at once.
- To store: Keep your Christmas magic bars in an airtight container for up to 4 days or refrigerate them for up to a week.
- To freeze: Your magic bars won't freeze totally solid, so be sure to place parchment paper between the bars. Wrap them in foil or place them into a freezer bag or freezer storage container for up to 3 months. To thaw them out, just set them on the counter at room temperature.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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