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
Patty says
Well, I WAS going to make ice cream for my family, but I think they’d be happy to just drink this condensed milk. It’s DELICIOUS!!!
Debbie Lieber says
I am sooo excited about finding your recipe for a low carb sweetened condensed milk! It is amazing to me every day that if you need an ingrediant in the kitchen before you run to the store or pass on your current craving all you have to do is Google the ingrediant, and SOMEONE HAS ALREADY made I diy version!! How cool is that? And the fact that most have spent countless hours as you obviously did experimenting and perfecting a comparable product that we can use as a substitution whether for convenience or dietary reasons is just awesome! Thank You for this amazing recipe as well as appreciation to all the other kitchen divas out their who have shared their additional ideas! My question is pushing my luck a little but I just have to ask….. Could this be poured into a canning jar, put in the crock pot and cooked to make the Crock pot version of caramel sauce I have been seeing on the web, do you think? I just saw that recipe a few days ago and thought that it was also a great idea! Would Looove to do it with the amazing low carb version SCMilk! Thanks again!!
Carolyn says
I don’t know for sure, but hey…it’s worth a try!
peasmom says
Hi, Carolyn. I got excited when I saw your successful attempt in making low carb sweetened condensed milk. May I ask if erythritol is the key sweetener to make this? Will it work if I use pure stevia powder? I really want to make this and the ice cream. 🙂
Carolyn says
I can’t say for sure but I don’t think the erythritol is key. It’s the slow cooking down of the milk that makes it like real condensed milk. So give it a go with stevia…maybe make a half batch to test it out?
peasmom says
Yes, I think I will do that. Try it out first with a small batch and see if it works. I’m over here on the other side of the globe in Southeast Asia and so far I only see stevia. I’m going out for another attempt to search for erythritol. Thanks so much!
Common Sense says
I made the sweetened condensed milk to make coffee creamer, recipe:
http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2013/03/homemade-coffee-creamer-over-20-flavor-varieties/
The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of sweetened condensed milk. This recipe wasn’t quite that much, but worked out just fine.
As I posted elsewhere, my cooking times are significantly quicker, maybe because I’m in Colorado and at a high elevation. Reducing only took 45 minutes and I probably could have cut that down by at least 10 minutes. It was actually pretty easy and the dogs sure didn’t mind the extra thick bits around the edge of the pan! (They are my pre-wash for dishes).
It’s absolutely great and I can’t wait to make Magic Cookie Bars with it, they were one of my favorites from my childhood.
For the creamer, I think next time I’ll leave out the xanthum gum, it makes for a VERY thick creamer.
Carolyn says
Interesting to know about the less cooking time.
Gina says
Do u think the condensed milk would work with soy creamer and almond milk???
Carolyn says
I think so, but I don’t know how it cooks down since it doesn’t have as much natural sugar. Coconut milk might work better than soy.
Rachel says
Just wondering, is it possible to make this recipe without any granulated sweetener and just use entirely liquid sweetener such as sucaryl (saccharin + cyclamate mixture). I don’t like using baking granulated splenda as it has so many carbs, and I’m having a hard time finding an erythritol blend which doesn’t cost heaps. Thanks 🙂
Carolyn says
Yes, I think you could, although I don’t know in what quantities.
hannah says
Hi Carolyn, I haven’t attempted this yet, but if it does get clumpy….. through my ineptitude do you think it could be saved by whizzing it with stick mixer? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Very possibly!
kmnsbtt says
Found this while looking for ice cream recipes…it’s fabulous. I am glad it takes so long to make, as I would probably sit down with a spoon and devour an entire batch. This stuff is great. Thank you, I think.
Emma says
exactly how thick should the condensed milk get? O: I made this tonight. It’s still just coating a spoon, but not nearly mayonnaise thick or gravy thick. It did reduce to about 9oz.
I stirred every minute or two for 1.5 hours.
It did get a little hotter at points, but that shouldn’t affect the thickening too much, right?
One thing I’ve noticed is my local, non-ultra-pasteurized heavy cream froths up before it boils, so I have to take it off the heat and stir a lot to get the froth down before I can let it come to a boil.
Carolyn says
It sounds like you hit the right point and now if you let it cool, it will thicken up. You can also add a little more xanthan if it end up too thin.
Ann says
Carolyn,
I made the condensed milk and it worked really well, You cant really get Swerve here, I have seen it on Amazon but its £75 (I believe the supplier is in the USA, no chance at this price) so instead I used erythritol, Now Brand, which I guess is granular though much finer than normal granulated sugar. I put the milk into the fridge as I plan to make your ice cream tomorrow. So its now chilled, when I tasted it, it seems to have recrystallised, it has that crunchiness. I don’t see how one could make it with just the erythritol in chilled products if this happens (and ice cream is certainly chilled) should I have powdered the erythritol before using it, and is there any way I can fix it now? I suspect by reheating but then won’t it simply recrystallise once its made into ice cream. Wondering if anyone else has had this problem?
Ann
Carolyn says
Yes, plain erythritol tends to recrystallize. I would actually reheat it, very gently and when you add the xanthan gum into the ice cream, it may help inhibit the recrystallization.
EdiaKaran says
I just made the condensed milk, exactly as the recipe said: Its amazing and taste so great! Im so happy because I will finally be able to do a low carb version of my favorite childhood cheese flan, pumpkin flan & ginger flan!! Not to mention a low carb Thai Tea! Im doing now the dulce the leche….ahh that ice cream is going to be the hit of the Summer! Big Thanks!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Jammie says
I just made these. Waiting for them to cool to be able to try. Everything went perfect up to this point with the recipe and they look fantastic! Just one question…how to store? In the fridge or on the counter? Thank you in advance!
Claire says
Hello!
I just discovered this recipe over the past couple of days and really enjoyed making it yesterday. We do not have Swerve here in France – and it is difficult to obtain, so I used a little coconut sugar plus stevia powder.
My question is about the quantities for the base. Mine came out totally crumbly, so that it did not hold together even a little bit! More butter needed? What could have gone wrong. After all the debate about the figures, the typeface, etc, could you please confirm the right amounts for the crust?
Many thanks! Now I have found this site, I should have no problem convincing my T1D 11 year old that she really does want to eat LCHF!
Carolyn says
What kind of almond flour did you use? I know that the amounts in the recipe are correct because so many other readers have made this. So I suspect it’s something like your almond flour is too coarse (almond meal really) and so it doesn’t hold together as well.
Claire says
That will be it! I cannot seem to buy almond flour here in France. Do you think that I can transform “meal” into flour in a blender?
Carolyn says
You can try. A coffee grinder might work even better but it would be in small batches.
Ann says
Claire, you can get Almond flour from this source in the UK http://www.realfoodstore.co.uk/ I am pretty sure they ship throughout Europe. Aside from this have you tried Amazon France, certainly amazon UK has lots of brands of almond flour and I am sure Amazon in France would too. Real Food source have different types they also have a defatted micro fine almond flour so you need to know which one to use, but they are very good at giving advice.
Ann
Vicki says
Well I used the recommended Honeyville almond flour and still had to add another 2 tablespoons of butter to get the crust to hold together.
Sasha says
I made this yesterday for your ice cream recipe, but right at the end I realised that the bits on the sides were FUDGE! So I’m going to try to make fudge with it next time. 🙂 I guess I’ll follow a standard recipe and use this for the condensed milk and more Swerve for the sugar. My husband gets a funny taste from Swerve, so I’m trying to find recipes where it’s less obvious to him!
I also have plans to try to use it in a South African style lemon meringue pie (the “curd” layer has condensed milk in our version of the recipe).
Carolyn says
Yes I have made fudge with this condensed milk. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/12/fruit-and-nut-fudge-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
Sasha says
Thank you so much! I’ll be trying to make the “plain” fudge I’m used to (no choc/fruits/nuts), but that recipe seems like a wonderful starting point… thank you for all the work you’ve put into your recipe – I think you might have changed my life!
KathyM says
Saw a recipe for Vanilla Bean Chai Syrup on Food52.com made with regular sweetened condensed milk, so I whipped up your recipe and then added the spices. WONDERFUL! Thanks so much for low carb SCM. Here’s the recipe if you’d like it.
Vanilla Bean Chai Syrup
Makes about 1 3/4 cups
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons ground cardamon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
Mix together and store in fridge. Use 1-2 spoonfuls per cup of hot tea.
Carolyn says
Nice! I love the idea!!! I am going to share on my FB page, if that’s okay with you.
KathyM says
Sure, just credit Food52.com as the source.
Paula says
Have you ever used stevia glycerite? I have a bottle of it, and am not entirely sure how to use it, or what a conversion factor is.
Carolyn says
I haven’t but Maria Emmerich does and might be able to guide you.
Chocolate Rose says
I’m planning on making your Copycat Cream Eggs today and made a double batch of the sweetened condensed milk yesterday. I used all cream and left out the xanthan gum, and it turned out perfect! YUM! I made the bars with half of the milk and they are amazing. Dh (not low carb/gluten free) “snuck” a piece while they were cooling and came to find me to tell me how good they are. I can’t wait to see how the eggs turn out.
Have you tried freezing the milk yet? I’d love to make up a larger batch if there was some way to successfully store it for when I needed it.
Lorri says
I just made both of these! Worked perfectly, delicious. I am having so much fun with your site. Thank you for the recipes.
Tracy Murphy says
These look delish! Can’t wait to try them. I think I might use low-carb “Angel Coconut” (unsweetened coconut flakes steeped in boiling water and erythritol or DaVinci syrup heated to boiling for 15 minutes). It’s softer, more moist and sweeter –seems tailor-made for this recipe.
Carolyn says
Sounds great to me!
Pam says
Dear Carolyn,
What about using evaporated milk + sweetener to make sweetened condensed milk quickly?
Carolyn says
I don’t know that this would be a great option. Evaporated milk has a lot of carbs, even though it’s unsweetened.