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
Koshie says
Is the nutritional information for 16 or for 24 bars? At the top of the recipe and at the bottom, it indicates the recipe should be cut into 16 pieces to serve 16, but the nutritional info seems to be based on 24?
Carolyn says
Oh sorry, 16. The updated version is only 16 bars. Let me go fix that…
Kiri says
I am on a low carb diet! This recipe is perfect and just in time for July 4th!
Kate says
The link to print the condensed milk is broken. Thought you might like to know.
Christa says
I’ve just made the sweetened condensed milk to use in the ‘Creme Easter Eggs’. It tastes amazing, but is quite dark in comparison with your photo of your eggs. Any idea why this might be?
Nancy Ferreira says
When I made these the bottom dough was all crumbly and fell apart. How can I stop this from happening next time?
Carolyn says
More butter.
Kellie Hemmerly says
These would definitely satisfy my almond joy cravings!!! I get them a lot. 🙂
Jennifer Blake says
No guilt sweet treat!
Liz says
Oh, yum!!! These beautiful bars are one of my favorite desserts!!
Heather Edwards says
I just tried to make the sweetened condensed milk recipe and it came out a lovely Carmel color and flavor. I don’t think it will taste like vanilla ice cream. I used Allulose instead of Swerve and I wonder if this is why? I’m thinking about boiling down the cream and milk before adding the sweetener. Any reason why I shouldn’t do that?
Carolyn says
It has to be the allulose. And actually…addign the sweetener after cooking down is something I’ve done lately too and it works well.
peasmom says
Hi, do you think this can be done using the slow cooker?
Carolyn says
No, I think the slow cooker would trap too much moisture and it wouldn’t firm up properly. But you are welcome to try!
Audrey T. says
Late to the party, as usual, but do you think fairlife whole milk would work for the sweetened condensed milk? It’s lactose free, with fewer carbs and more protein than regular whole milk. Some people online have called it Frankenmilk, but I’m intrigued by the concept.
I’ve recently become sensitive to lactose, but would love to try to make the SCM. I thought cashew milk might work as well; I’m not a huge fan of the taste of almond milk now that I’ve tried cashew milk.
Thank you in advance!
Jackie says
So excited to try this! What does “all cream” mean in the ingredients, where It says “do not use all cream”…? Does that mean use heavy whipping cream rather than heavy cream?
Carolyn says
No…it means make sure you use at least half milk or almond milk because it gets too thick and clumpy if it’s all heavy cream/whipping cream.
Candace Spaid says
Delicious.
Cindy Cowles says
Can you sub in xylo-sweet for the sugar sub and stevia sub in the low carb sweet condensed milk? Other sweeteners like stevia have a strange aftertaste for me
Carolyn says
I can’t be sure it will thicken properly, since Swerve contains some fiber that helps the consistency. But it’s worth a try.
Kathy Silber says
I’m excited to try this recipe and use it in the vanilla ice cream recipe. However, I have one question. I was a bit confused about your comment about not using all cream. So does the one cup cream and one cup milk make that adjustment? In other words, is this recipe exactly what I should use? I used to make a Lemon Meringue Pie for my husband using sweetened condensed milk. It was soooo good! I’d like to try it using your s.c.m. Thank you so much for your website and all of your wonderful recipes! They are superb.
Carolyn says
I added that comment because several readers attempted 2 cups of cream in an effort to lower the carbs and ended up with a gloppy mess. So yes, do 1 cup cream, 1 cup milk.
Denise S. says
Carolyn, I made these and they are awesome!!!!!
BaileyQ says
So, this is the third cookie recepie I have tried from you blog, they have all been good, but this one is by far my favorite! That sweetened condensed milk is amazing. I didn’t know, something sugar free could be this good. I am going to try doing it dairy free next time. I’m thinking almond milk and canned coconut milk. I also used different sweeteners in my recepie. I used 1/4c xylotol and 1/4tsp pure stevia. I used 1c heavy cream, and subbed 1c half and half for the milk, to cut a few more carbs, but not skimp on taste and lastly I subbed 1/2 a vanilla bean pod for the extract. It only took about 30minutes to boil down to the right consistency. But amazing. Its so rich, I only need a tiny piece to curb my sweet tooth. Will be making again… And playing with this one.
Tina says
Caroyn,…Girl , you saved my life. First I made your graham crackers. Delicious! Then I took the graham crackers and used them for the crust for these Magic Cookie Bars. Yummy in my tummy.. I did as one person said and added a little more xanthum gum to thicken up my condensed milk . Instead of milk in the cookie recipe, because I am lactose intolerant, I used Atkins milk modification which is Heavy cream diluted with water. I did two tablespoons of heavy cream and the rest was water to make 1 cup of modified milk. Fabulous. You are wonderful and thank you so much for your contribution to low carb world. I was stuggling with this whole carb lifestyle but knowing every blue I can have a treat that will not spike my blood sugar levels. You made me believe that I can cook any of my favorite foods with just little bit of tweaking.
Carolyn says
So glad I could help, Tina!
Kate says
I have granulated stevia with erythritol. Will this work? I love sweetened condensed milk, but the carbs instantly go to my hips! I do a primal diet, but prefer to not use honey and maple syrup because of those darn carbs, so I use a lot of granulated stevia to make my rare treat. This looks so good, and hope this will work. Then I can do key lime pie and flan! Yummy!
Carolyn says
I think that will work. Is it a mix of the two? What brand is it?
Betsy says
I have a very old, authentic recipe for key lime pie using only 6 egg yolks, a cup of key lime juice and 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Do you suppose I could replace the scm in the original recipe with your sweetened condensed milk recipe? I was planning on making it in a low carb almond pie crust.
Carolyn says
Yes, I think you could!