Magic Cookie Bars were one of my favorite childhood treats. They were so easy and a perfect dessert for a kid trying to flex her newfound baking muscles. My father called them Hello Dollies, and he adored them. And I could never say no to that buttery graham cracker crust topped with chocolate, nuts, and gooey caramelized condensed milk.
When I went low carb for health concerns, I knew I had to find a way to make sugar-free condensed milk. And once I had mastered that delicious baking ingredient, the next logical step was to make Keto Magic Cookie Bars.
You will be delighted to know that these are just as easy (and just as delicious!) as the high carb version. My keto pie crust makes an excellent substitute for the base. And the topping is just as gooey, sweet, and chockfull of mix-ins as the original.
Whether you call them 7 Layer Bars, Hello Dollies, or Magic Cookie Bars, you’re sure to love this low-carb, gluten-free treat.
The condensed milk is useful in many other wonderful recipes, from Keto Key Lime Pie to Sugar-Free White Chocolate Fudge.
Reader’s Thoughts
“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!” — Dana
Why makes this recipe special
- Easier condensed milk – this latest version comes together in 30 minutes with a handful of ingredients. And it stores nicely in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!
- Gluten-free crust: Almond flour and other nut meals make a crisp, satisfying base.
- Keto friendly toppings: Some chopped nuts and shredded coconut, along with keto chocolate chips, give these bars the classic look and taste.
- Balanced sweetness: These keto magic cookie bars are less cloying than the original, so the nuts and chocolate shine through.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Almond flour works best for this crust, for both texture and flavor. Other nut and seed flours will work but may be a bit more crumbly.
- Sweetener: The crust is best made with an erythritol based sweetener, as allulose will make it too soft.
- Butter: For the shortbread crust, nothing beats the flavor and texture that butter offers.
- Salt: A little salt balances with the sweetness in these bars.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: Your favorite brand should work fine. I used Lily’s.
- Sugar-free peanut butter chips: No one seems to be making the butterscotch chips anymore, so I switched to keto peanut butter chips. You can also simply do more chocolate chips. Lily’s salted caramel chips would be delicious too!
- Coconut: Use unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Nuts: You can use chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Sugar free condensed milk: You will need to make this prior to making the bars.
Overview: How to Make This Recipe
- Make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients, then mix in the melted butter until the mixture clumps together.
- Bake the crust: Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake until the edges start to brown. Remove and cool.
- Assemble the bars: Sprinkle chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, and nuts over the cooled crust. Pour sweetened condensed milk on top and bake until mixture is bubbly and beginning to brown.
- Cool. Let the bars cool in pan and cut into pieces.
Tips for Success
I recommend using metal pans for this recipe, as it will help the crust firm up properly. Make sure you let it cool completely before adding the toppings.
Keep in mind that erythritol based sweeteners, with no allulose, are the only ones that will produce a crisp crust.
You can also use a 9×9 inch pan, but the bars will cook through faster so keep your eye on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t purchase keto condensed milk, you make it! But don’t worry, it’s very simple to do and results in a spectacular low carb baking ingredient. I’ve found that I can keep it in the fridge for 10 to 14 days without spoilage. It’s a great way to use up heavy cream that is about to expire.
This keto magic cookie bar recipe has 6.5g of carbs and 3.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.1g net carbs per bar.
Store the bars in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
More keto dessert bars to try
Keto Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cup (165 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) granular sweetener, erythritol-based
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
Filling:
- 1/4 cup (59.15 g) sugar-free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (42.5 g) sugar-free peanut butter chips, (or more chocolate chips)
- 1/2 cup (42.5 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup (54.5 g) chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 recipe keto condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and lightly grease an 8×8 inch metal baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and salt in the . Add melted butter and mix in until mixture begins to clump together. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove and let cool completely.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350ºF.
- Sprinkle the cooled crust with the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut and nuts.
- Pour the condensed milk evenly over top and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and beginning to brown.
- Remove and let cool in pan before cutting into bars.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I just tried making this sweetened condensed milk. Made a double batch (2 c. milk/2 c. cream). Ive let it reduce all afternoon since it didn’t reduce enough in 90 min., and I still ended up with 4 cups?? Frustrated, to say the least.
Wow, that is very strange. Any liquid should reduce when simmered like that. Is it any thicker? I’ve made this as double batches and it reduces just fine. Do you have xanthan gum? You could just see if you could add that and if it thickens up enough.
So I made this to use for the magic cookie bars. I thought I would be clever and use all cream, no whole milk. The cream cooked down too quickly–in about half the time–and when I added the xanthan gum, the mixture curdled and clumped up. I could whisk it smooth, but it started to leak oil and clump worse. When it cooled, it was a little grainy and dark: basically failed caramel (although it tasted fantastic!) I used it on the cookie bars anyway (underneath the nuts & coconut instead of on top) and it tasted lovely, though it was definitely not sweetened condensed milk. The second time, I used the full amount of whole milk, and the recipe worked perfectly as written. I’m making it into dulce de leche as I speak. The moral is, trust the expert who wrote the recipe.
Hi Catherine,
Thank you for this…I didn’t realize that the cream would do that. Very good to know. Several people have asked if they could use all cream and I didn’t think it would be such a problem!
I actually just updated the recipe to say not to use all cream. Thanks for trying it out! Sorry it didn’t work, though 🙁
Not at all, not at all! You can’t blame yourself for my disobeying orders:). Thanks for replying so quickly, by the way. It took three hours and two out of four kids crying, but I have some pretty tasty stuff to make up for it.
Catherine I used 1/2 & 1/2 and water to make mine and it worked fine. So you could probably use cream and water. Then less carbs. But I might be wrong too. 🙂 Thanks for letting us know your experience.
Hi there … a quick question. Can the condensed milk recipe be easily doubled? Do you know how long it would have to simmer?
BTW, I made your truffles (must have been that Christmas magic because they just vanished!). I just saw your fudge post and would like to try that too and would like to have some extra condensed milk on hand.
Cheers,
–n
I think it could easily be doubled, and I don’t think it would increase your cooking time by more than half an hour…maybe up to an hour, but I doubt it. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi, I made a quadruple recipe today and only needed about 25 extra minutes, it would vary from stove to stove I think, but it turned out great and made it more worthwhile to make a lot as it is quite time consuming and needs regular attention. I now have a jar of plain sweetened condensed milk and a jar of dulce de leche in my fridge (took half of it and continued on to make DDL). 🙂
These are just so fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!! 😀
So I think the answer is no, but would your sweetened condensed milk carmelise? it’s the sugars that make this happen so I am thinking not but worth an ask as you’ve used it a bit
Search my blog for dulce de leche… 🙂
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. In the past 2 days, I’ve made this twice! I used coconut milk instead of whole milk and it came out great! The first time I used it up to make the magic cookie bars. I may use more butter in the crust as it was still a little crumbly for my taste. The next batch is in the fridge until I decide on flan or more magic cookie bars. I’m taking them to work tomorrow so I don’t eat the whole pan!
do you have to use the xanthum gum?
Not if you don’t want to, but it does help thicken it a bit more.
Hi, this recipe looks so good!, I love your recipes!.
Thanks!
Looks yummy. What could I replace the oat flour and whole milk with? Thanks 🙂
You can replace the oat flour with a little coconut flour (about half the amount of oat flour) and the whole milk with more cream if you like.
Awesome. This was my Christmas staple. I could eat a whole pan. I was a little too lazy to make the sweetened condensed milk…instead I did the 1 cup of powdered milk (12g) with 1/2 cup boiling water and 2/3 cup Splenda or swerve and blend until thickened in the blender. Very close to the original as well. I have a Christmas favorite back…thank you.
Coming back to say these were divine! Magic bars are one of my all time favorite goodies, and to be able to make them carb friendly? Yippee! And the sweetened condensed milk came out good, too! Genius, I say, genius!
Adding my applause. They are scrumptious, though mine weren’t as pretty as yours (not that it makes a difference when they taste soooo good). Any idea why the sweetened milk formed a crust on the top? Too thick? I made it the night before & warmed it before adding.
Thanks for another to-die-for recipe!
Whenever one of my recipes doesn’t come out looking as good as I hoped, I say “Well, at least it will taste good!” 🙂
True! Better than the reverse.
This is awesome! And the cookie bars look so delicious 🙂
What would you recommend to substitute for the oat flour (allergic)? Or just use all almond?
I miss the smell and taste of oats, but my body does not agree!
You could do one of two things. 1 tbsp of coconut flour, or about 3 to 4 more tbsp of almond flour. It would all work very well!
Is there any chance I could use 2 cups of regular whipping cream instead of the milk and heavy cream? I’d like to lower the car count is possible.
You bet. It may thicken up faster so watch it carefully.