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
Holly says
Hey, don’t be scared of polydextrose. It’s just a fiber that’s really very useful in low-carb baking. It’s not very sweet, so you still need to use some sucralose or something, but it is really good at mimicking the bulking properties of sugar. It’s the secret to making desserts gooey. It’s the secret to making sugar-free ice cream that is actually scoopable.
Do a little research, maybe buy a bag and play with it a bit. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Feel free to email me if you want to chat about the stuff.
Roger Conner says
I have some polydextrose for ice cream-making but I don’t know where to start. Do I substitute it for sugar, or simply add it to the mix? How and when? Any help appreciated.
Wenda says
I made the sweetened condensed milk… Then the magic cookie. Bars …Delicious!!!!
Thanks for great recipes!!
Bruna says
Is it possible to use an artificial sweetener instead of erythritol, like splenda??
Carolyn says
I think you could try it, but keep in mind that Swerve has some fiber in it, so using Splenda may change the consistency.
Shirley Ho says
Hi Carolyn,
I don’t have stevia extract, what can I substitute with that? Thanks!
Carolyn says
About 2 to 3 tbsp more Swerve or preferred sweetener.
Melissa M says
Any way to do this in the crock pot?
Carolyn says
You mean the condensed milk? Probably…for 4 hours maybe.
Carolyn says
Has anyone tried this in the crock pot? I’d love to hear how it turned out!
ilyse says
I have made the Magic Cookie Bars with your condensed milk, and they were fantastic. Tonight, I made Key Lime Pie using Joes Stone Crab Key Lime Pie recipe http://joesstonecrab.com/recipes/keylime.html and made it with your condensed milk and it was INSANE! Made a crust of almond flour, butter, & swerve and whipped cream to serve with it. OH MY! Thanks so much for your awesome recipes! Even the non low carbers at our 4th of July celebration loved it!
Carolyn says
Wonderful! I keep meaning to make key lime pie…glad to know the condensed milk works for it!
Kathy says
I had some whipping cream on the last day of best before, and no time to actually stir the mixture while it reduced, so I made the recipe in the microwave so I could let it rip without tending to it. I also did not have granulated erythritol, just powdered, and since I didn’t know the amount for substitution, I used 1 1/2 cups for a double batch of cream/whole milk. After bringing the mixture to the boil on 100% power, I reduced the power to 40%, and cooked in increments, stirring every so often till the liquid reduced to just less than 1/2 and became a lovely light caramel brown colour (the colour of light brown sugar). I then followed the instructions, but felt that the condensed milk was not sweet enough, and added some liquid sucralose drops in addition to the stevia drops, mixed it all thoroughly, and put it in the fridge. By this morning, it had thickened to the point of being firm enough to slice…not what was intended certainly, but it is like REALLY delicious fudge. I am going to make the recipe as written when I can get to the store to buy more cream, but in the meantime we will enjoy eating this by the spoon, and loving every bite! I do wonder if cooking in the microwave caused the mixture to caramelize? If the sweetened condensed milk had turned out, I was going to use half of it to make dulche de leche, but it seemed that what I got looked like that without baking in a water bath.
Carolyn says
Actually, I hear a lot of people actually make dulce de leche in the microwave, and quite honestly, what you did sounds delicious so now I am wondering if I should try it!
Kathy says
My husband, who is a type 2 diabetic, has been eating this creamy “fudge” by the spoonful, and just cannot believe that it is not affecting his blood sugar levels. He has been testing after eating it without any spike, and is amazed that something that tastes exactly like fudge can be essentially guilt free. Of course, it isn’t nutritious like vegetables, nor is it calorie free, but this unexpected result from not following your cooking directions has turned into a real treat for him.
Carolyn says
I am so glad! No, you’re right it’s not nutritious but it’s nice to be able to have a treat!
Estelle says
Thank you so much for your hard work and for sharing. The condensed milk is hmmm … wonderful does not describe it 🙂 Now I don’t know if I should make the bars or just keep the bottle of condensed milk in the fridge to have a spoon every now and again, I am so happy that it will last me a whole week
Lady Jennie says
Oh shoot. And I just wanted to make some delicious salted pecan ice cream and will have to try it when I have time to make the other two recipes involved (grin).
Off to search your other ice cream recipes for my new ice cream machine.
Heather from Canada says
Hi Carolyn, I made the sweetened condensed milk and it tasted incredible, but after cooling to room temperature it got extremely thick, more like icing, and the Swerve crystallized again. I had the head too low for the first 90 minutes so turned it up a bit and it thickened up beautifully after another 20 minutes. Maybe it was cooked a fraction too long? The butter incorporated well, I probably didn’t need the xanthan gum. I added the vanilla when it was still warm, didn’t read the recipe right and didn’t have the stevia. Anything here that you think would crystallize the Swerve? I ended up having to heat up the milk in order to pour it over the squares, and it didn’t sink under the ingredients, so it’s like loose toppings trapped between the crust and a layer of icing. Tastes great, but would like to get it right, I love sweetened condensed milk! Oh and I only had about 1/3 cup of milk left so I used water and whipping cream for the rest and it was fine.
Carolyn says
There are so many variables here that you had to change, it’s really hard to pinpoint what could be the problem. I think possibly turning up the heat made the Swerve crystallize…I find when it’s heated a lot in a liquidy thing, it’s more likely to do that. Also the combination of the cream and water had to play a role in changing the consistency. The recipe is best when the ratio of cream and milk are right. And perhaps you should skip xanthan next time, if your butter is incorporating properly. Then it won’t be quit so thick.
Heather from Canada says
Hi Carolyn, I made this again today, kept to your recipe and it worked out great! I made a quadruple batch as I have big plans involving dulce de leche pecan ice cream (once I get an ice cream maker, hopefully tomorrow!) and Nanaimo bars. Yum!! And eating it straight out of the pot of course! I did find again that it didn’t reduce on low, so apparently my stove needs to be on 3 to keep a simmer that will reduce it enough. I ended up with slightly more than 4 cups but I like the consistency. So thanks again, another great recipe!!!
Carolyn says
Wow, I can’t wait to hear how it all turns out!
Heather from Canada says
So I ended up with 4 1/3 cups of it, turned 2 cups into dulce de leche for the ice cream (SO GOOD), made a double batch of your coconut cranberry almond macaroons (without the chocolate dip) and a double recipe of your Nanaimo bar tart, which I put in an 11 x 13 pan to make squares. The filling is a bit soft so I’m going to freeze them for an hour before I cut them with a sharp knife (not your fault, I changed your filling receipe because I didn’t want to use the vanilla pudding powder or the Bird’s custard due to dietary issues). The filling tastes wonderful though, not too sweet. I don’t usually like Nanaimo bars because the filling layer is too sweet, but these ones are great! I used the same amount of cream cheese, whipping cream and vanilla as recommended, did not use the almond milk and substituted 1/2 cup of the sweetened condensed milk instead of the almond milk/pudding powder. I whipped the cream cheese and whipping cream for quite a while, until it was really fluffy, before adding the condensed milk and whipping again.
Carolyn says
I may have to try your variation so we can do away with the yucky sugar free pudding powder. Maybe for Canada Day! 🙂
Marv says
Hi, made these and became an instant celebrity! So glad I found this site.
Two questions for the experts here though: 1) the unsweetened coconut seems quite dry, did I maybe get an old bag; and 2) in the unlikely event there are leftovers, do they require refrigeration?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Hmmm, not sure about the coconut but yes, probably not a great brand or bag of it! These can be stored on your counter for 2 or 3 days.
Marv says
Figured it out Carolyn! I condensed the milk too far. It was too thick to saturate the coconut flakes. Delicious all the same but will be better next time.
PS: This blog is FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for the effort; you’ve made a difference in my family’s life.
Alberta says
What’s the shelf-life of the low carb sweetened condensed milk?
I’ve recently discovered you through pinterest and boy, am I happy I did. Your site has been a great resource (uplift) for my sometimes low carb boredom blues.
Carolyn says
Hi Alberta…I’ve actually managed to keep my condensed milk in the fridge for slightly more than a week, with no souring or spoiling. Yippee!
Katie says
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.
Carolyn says
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.
Catherine H. says
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.
Carolyn says
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!
Carolyn says
I actually just updated the recipe to say not to use all cream. Thanks for trying it out! Sorry it didn’t work, though 🙁
Catherine H. says
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.
Philis says
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.
nat says
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
Carolyn says
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!
Heather from Canada says
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). 🙂
Jeanette says
These are just so fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!! 😀
LowCarbCentral says
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
Carolyn says
Search my blog for dulce de leche… 🙂
Kathy says
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!
andrea says
do you have to use the xanthum gum?
Carolyn says
Not if you don’t want to, but it does help thicken it a bit more.
Kelly says
Hi, this recipe looks so good!, I love your recipes!.