Keto Magic Cookie Bars! One of my all-time favorite treats now comes in a keto and grain-free recipe. Use my easy sugar-free condensed milk to make this classic dessert in a healthy form. This is an updated recipe, now even easier and more delicious!
Oh, my low-carb, non-sugar friends, you are going to love me. Love me! Because I have come up with a great new recipe for sugar-free sweetened condensed milk, perfect for making this low carb, gluten free magic cookie bars recipe.
Be sure to check out the new video in the recipe!
I updated the condensed milk recently and now it’s even easier than ever. No need to stand over the pot, stirring for hours on end to reduce the mixture. The new version comes together in about 30 minutes and uses 3 basic ingredients! So now you can get to these delicious keto cookie bars even faster.
Magic cookie bars were one of my favorite childhood treats. They were so easy to make, perfect for a kid trying to flex her newly found baking muscles. And they were so satisfyingly gooey and delicious. Everyone I knew loved them, but they all had different names for them.
7 Layer Bars was a common one, because the traditional version had 7 ingredients all layered together. My family referred to them as Hello Dollies; I have no idea why but that’s what I grew up calling them. It was only once I moved to the US that I heard them referred to as Magic Cookie Bars.
When I went low carb, I assumed that these wonderful gooey bars were now off limits forever.
Of course they were, for heaven’s sake! They took at least three ingredients that were so very much not low carb or healthy. Graham crackers in the crust, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk. All things that were on the keto no-no list. Unless, of course, you can find leto-friendly alternatives. Dare I even dream that it was possible?
Heck yeah, I dared. I dared greatly. And it was indeed possible!
How to Make Keto Magic Cookie Bars
- The biggest obstacle was coming up with a low carb sweetened condensed milk recipe. Which actually wasn’t that much of an obstacle at all, as it turns out. My old version was great but a little higher carb because it contained whole milk. It also took a lot longer to make, as you had to boil it for over an hour. My new sugar-free condensed milk is faster, easier, and lower carb because it takes only heavy whipping cream.
- The graham crackers obviously had to go too. Thankfully, nut flours and meals make a great substitute for low carb crusts, and taste just as good if not better. A little butter, a little sweetener, a little salt, pressed together into the pan and presto! A keto graham cracker crust.
- Those chocolate chips were a bit of an issue for a while. For a long time, I would use 90% cacao chocolate, which still had a bit of sugar. And the original version of these magic cookie bars had that as part of the recipe. However, since then there have been a few developments. One being my homemade sugar-free chocolate chips, which are perfect in this recipe. The other is that there is some great low carb chocolate on the market now, including Lily’s chocolate chips.
- If you can get a hold of them, be sure to try the new Lily’s Butterscotch chips in this recipe. The conventional magic cookie bars use butterscotch or peanut butter chips in addition to the chocolate chips, and it really takes this keto version over the top.
With all these pieces in place, I was ready to re-create that beloved childhood treat. My old recipe, which I originally published in 2012, was better than I could have hoped. They smelled just like magic cookie bars when baking, they looked just like magic cookie bars when being cut up, and they tasted just like magic cookie bars when eaten. They were less cloyingly sweet than the conventional bars, but that is definitely a good thing.
The updated version is very similar, except that I use my new sugar-free condensed milk. I’ve made the crust a little less crumbly as well, and I used Lily’s chocolate chips or my own homemade chocolate chips in place of the 90% dark chocolate bar. This means they have the same great taste but fewer carbs. Now that’s what I call an improvement!
I am looking forward to playing more with my new low carb condensed milk recipe. I have already made some gorgeous Key Lime Bars that you need to try. And I am pretty sure that this recipe will work just as well in my low carb dulce de leche and coconut flan recipes.
But believe me, the first thing you should make with it is a pan of Low Carb Magic Cookie Bars. Or Seven Layer Bars. Or Hello Dollies. Whatever you want to call them, just get on it!
Try these other delicious low carb bar recipes
Cherry Cream Chocolate Cookie Bars
Keto Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
Filling:
- ¼ cup sugar-free chocolate chips
- ¼ cup sugar-free butterscotch chips (or more chocolate chips)
- ½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 recipe sugar-free sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- For the crust, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt in the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking pan. Add melted butter and mix in until mixture begins to clump together. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove and let cool.
- Increase oven temperature to 350F.
- Sprinkle cooled crust with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and nuts. Pour sweetened condensed milk over top and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and beginning to brown.
- Let cool in pan and cut into 16 bars.
Video
Kaite says
Fan freaking tastic!! I love the original version of these snacks, and I was so happy to find a keto version. I was skeptical of the crust and the consensed milk version, but I was more than impressed. I found they also freeze well, I put 1 bar between wax or parchment paper, and then a ziploc. It came out really well, and the paper kept it from sticking to the ziploc.
The only problem is the butterscotch chips are no longer sold…I’m buying a bunch on ebay before they’re completely gone!
Will 100% be making this recipe in the future.
Wendy says
Oh my gosh these are my new favorite! I never used to like these growing up but my friend just bought the reg ones from Walmart and I thought mmmm I need to find a recipe. So worth the effort! Thank you for all your efforts! I made two batches of the condensed milk so I can hopefully make the key lime pie soon!
Joie says
Do I store these in the refrigerator because they have heavy cream in the recipe?
Or is room temp OK. Since they don’t have real sugar, they don’t have a natural preservative besides salt.
Carolyn says
They should be fine for 2 days or so on the counter, in the fridge if longer than that.
Gayle Gardner says
Holy cow! I still have the bars in the oven, but I can say that the sweetened condensed milk is the best! That just opened up a bunch of receipes for me! Thanks for sharing!
Zuly says
Hi Carolyn :-). Quick question… I’m thinking of subbing the Butterscotch Chips with Cranberries. Would you recommend uncooked (frozen/but defrosted), your dried recipe or neither? I have plenty of both in the freezer, lol. Thanks in advance.
Zuly says
Disregard question, lol. I just noticed in comments that I’ve made your cranberry version. How could I forget. We loved them! Hugsss…
Annaliese says
could I use pecan flour instead of almond flour?
Carolyn says
Yes! I did that for my pecan cranberry version.
Brittney says
Hello! My family called these Hello Dolly bars too (my mother’s family is mostly Dutch) – but we used saltines for the crust- never graham crackers- and my mom would often use pecans instead of walnuts. Any thoughts on a keto friendly saltine?? I love all your recipes!!!!
Carolyn says
I wouldn’t bother making any kind of cracker, that’s just an extra step. Just use less sweetener and more salt in the crust as is, if you want a more savory flavor.
Cris says
These are wonderful! I even made the sweetened condensed milk with coconut cream and they did not seem too coconuty. These are a do again!
Melissa says
Yum – great way in get in that sugar free carving we all have while sticking to our plan!
Andrea Thueson says
Do words. These bars and indeed magical. I will definitely be whipping these up again soon.
katerina @ diethood.com says
These cookies are definitely magic! WOW! AMAZING!
Dianne says
Delicious, just like all your recipes. How do I store the magic cookie bars?
Carolyn says
I keep them on the counter for a few days but in the fridge if they will be around longer.
Marcia says
Just wondering if you have tried freezing these? Made them last week and just like the name states, they are magic bars because they disappeared almost instantly!
Carolyn says
I have not. but if you read the comments, I bet someone has.
Pam Allen says
These are wonderful!!!
Dana says
I’ve made these bars so many times and they always turn out great! Helps my blood sugar numbers and satisfies my sweet tooth. thank you!
Wendy says
I love these cookies, and I’ve made them several times. High recommend! They freeze nicely too.