This particular dessert is very nostalgic for me. It makes me think of times past, and my childhood. I didn’t do much baking or cooking growing up, but this was one of the desserts that I remember making. It is just one of those things that has stuck with me. These are super easy to make and you can change out the ingredients to your liking. For example, you could substitute the peanut butter chips for butterscotch, or the pecans for almonds. I can’t vouch for how that will taste, because I’ve only made them according to the following recipe.

I’ve been making these for over thirty years. In my home, we called them ‘7 Layer Bars,’ but it wasn’t until last year that I heard them called ‘Magic Bars.’ I had literally never heard of that before that moment. My husband hates coconut, but he doesn’t really mind that coconut are in these.

Seven Layer Bars

Ingredients:

• a box of graham cracker crumbs (15 oz.)
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
• a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (10 oz.)
• a bag of Reese’s peanut butter chips (10 oz.)
• 1/2 bag of sweetened shredded coconut
• a bag of chopped pecans – small pieces (2.25 oz)
• a can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
3. Spread out the graham cracker crumbs evenly into the pan. I usually start with half of the box and add more as needed.
4. Melt two sticks of unsalted butter and then pour over top the graham cracker crumbs. Press the melted butter into the graham cracker crumbs, so it forms a crust.
5. Spread out the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the pan.
6. Spread out the bag of Reese’s peanut butter chips into the pan.
7. Drizzle the can of sweetened condensed milk into the pan. I start by drizzling it vertically and then horizontally; creating a crisscross pattern, until the can is empty.
8. Spread the sweetened shredded coconut onto the mixture. I start with half of a bag and then I go from there. You can always add more if it needs it, but make sure the entire pan is covered.
9. Lastly, spread the ___ bag of pecans on top and make sure the top of the pan is covered in pecans.
10. Cook for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!