Best Keto Magic Cookie Bars – 7 Layer Bars

You’re going to love these delicious Keto Magic Cookie Bars, they are the BEST ones you’ve ever had!  Easy to make, Low Carb and Sugar-Free, a perfect dessert for your next party!

So I’m not going to lie, I’ve never been a fan of magic cookie bars, for 2 simple reasons…I don’t like nuts, and I don’t like coconut. Now that being said, I absolutely love these bars! I know weird right?

I was hesitant to make these mostly because I didn’t think I was going to like them but so happy I chose to make them. 

Normally everything about these bars would be a big no-no on a low carb diet due to their graham cracker crust, sugar, and condensed milk. But don’t worry, I’ve fixed all the problems and concerns with this recipe.

Not only did we make a delicious almond flour crust, but wait for it …we made a beyond scrumptious Sugar-Free Condensed Milk. It’s a key ingredient for these magic bars, and let me tell you, you’re going to love it. 

This is such an easy dessert to bring over to your next dinner party, and one of the best things about them is that everyone who’s low carb can enjoy them!

Since coming up with this recipe, I’ve made them at least a dozen times. Mostly because my mom who is diabetic has asked me for a nice sweet treat that she can actually eat.

I hope you all enjoy these Keto Magic Cookie Bars as much as we all have. 

What is the Difference Between 7 Layer Bars, Hello Dolly and Magic Cookie Bars?

You may be wondering “Now, what is a Hello Dolly?” I asked myself the same question, and the answer I found was that it’s the same thing as a Magic cookie bar or a 7 layer bar. It seems like it’s more of an older generation thing to call them Hello Dollies. 

Traditional 7 Layer Bars, Hello Dollies, and Magic Cookie Bars are made with a layer of crushed graham cracker, then shredded coconut, walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips or butterscotch chips, and then, of course, topped with a can of condensed milk.

Some people have chosen to only use one type of nut or to use a mix of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. These are the main ingredients, but you use them however you like.

So you may not hear it very often, but if someone asks you if you’d like a Hello Dolly, your response can be “Ohhhh, you mean a magic cookie bar?? Why yes I’d love one!”

What Ingredients are in Keto Magic Cookie Bars?

Almond Flour – this is used to make the bottom layer/crust. Nut flours have become such a staple in my low carb cooking and baking. It’s not a 1-1 ratio for regular flour, so you have to play around with the quantities. 

Sugar-free Condensed Milk – Try my recipe for low carb condensed milk. It’s super simple and only requires 4 ingredients. Cook time is only about 30 minutes, and most of it is simmering time. 

Sugar-free Chocolate Chips – I’ve been using Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips. They have zero sugar added but are sweetened with stevia. Surprisingly, they don’t have the typical stevia aftertaste, which is great. Only 5 net carbs for 60 chips.

At some point soon though, I will be trying to my own sugar-free chocolate chips. But for now, it’s Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips all the way. 

Pecans and Walnuts – I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to use pecans or walnuts, so I decided why not use both. This is totally up to you and what kind of nuts you like. 

Can I Eat Magic Cookie Bars on Keto?

Simply put, yes! With ingredients like almond flour, nuts, and heavy cream it is a great snack to have while on keto or any low carb/sugar-free diet.

Of course, being only 3.2 NET CARBS per square makes it even more appealing! 

How to Make Magic Cookie Bars:

The first thing you need to do to make low carb magic cookie bars is to come up with a good keto crust to replace the normal graham cracker crust. Not too hard actually, now that nut flours are so popular and versatile.

• In a small bowl mix together almond flour, egg, salt, sweetener, and melted butter. Stir well with a spoon.

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• Now line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and put the crust into the pan.

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• At this point, it’s really just easier to use your hands to press it down evenly.

• Using a fork, poke some holes into your crust. This let’s the air out which keeps your crust from expanding and breaking.

Now pop it into the oven and bake it for about 10 minutes on 400 degrees. It should have golden brown edges. 

Roughly chop your pecans and walnuts. Add shredded unsweetened coconut, sugar-free chocolate chips, walnuts, and pecans.

Stir together in a small bowl or plastic container. Set aside. 

Once the crust has cooled for a few minutes, sprinkle your coconut/chocolate mixture over the crust. Don’t use it all right now though, leave 1-2 tablespoons for the last step. 

The next challenge was coming up with sugar-free condensed milk, which actually proved not to be a challenge at all.

With only 4 simple ingredients and a 30-minute cook time, this sugar-free condensed milk is easy, fast, and of course low carb. Click on the link to get my step by step instructions for making it: Sugar-Free Condensed Milk.

• Now that your yummy condensed milk is made, pour the whole batch on top of the coconut/chocolate layer. Spread evenly making sure to cover everything up. 

• If you choose to save a couple of tablespoons of your mixture, now sprinkle it on top of the condensed milk. I personally like doing it this way. 

• Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then transfer into the fridge for about 2 hours. Make sure the condensed milk has completely hardened before cutting into it. 

• Take out the Magic Cookie Bars from the fridge and gently pull them out of the baking dish. If you grab the parchment paper and pull that straight up, it should lift the entire block of Magic Cookie bars.

• Place the block on the counter and with a sharp knife, gently cut them into the desired amount of squares. We’ve found that 16 is a good number.

That’s it! Enjoy!

Different Ways to Make Low Carb Magic Bars

There are a few different ways you can change this up a bit. I don’t think I would change it too much, but here’s a couple of ideas you can do. 

• Different types of nuts – Almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts just to name a few. I used a combo of pecans and walnuts, but you can use all of them, just 1 nut, or do a combo of 2, 3, or even 4 nuts. 
• Your bottom crust – Mine is made from almond flour, but some people like to do almond flour mixed with a small amount of coconut flour. I’m not exactly sure how much coconut flour to add, but based on other crusts I’ve made it seems like you only need a couple of tablespoons of coconut flour added to 1-2 cups of almond flour. 
• Dairy-free?? Sure…replace the butter in the crust with coconut oil, and in the condensed milk replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk.   
• Add more shredded coconut if you’re a big coconut fan, or take it out completely if you hate it or especially if you’re allergic. 

Do I Have to Use a Mixer?

Nope! An electric mixer is definitely not needed for these magic cookie bars.

Go old school with this recipe and just use a spoon, or in fact, you can use your hands too. I found that it actually works better.   

Do Magic Cookie Bars Need to be Refrigerated? How to Store them?

Once you’ve made these 7 Layer Bars and they have finished chilling up in the fridge, you can leave them on your counter in an airtight container.

If your kitchen is at all humid or hot, you might want to stick them in the fridge. I’ve done it both ways. 

We brought these Magic Cookie bars to the beach for 2 days as a snack, and they were perfect in a container inside of our beach cooler. You’ll be able to tell if the condensed milk starts to melt a bit, and if that’s the case, just pop them in the fridge. Problem solved! 

Are you wondering though how long do Keto Magic Bars keep? Good question! I recently made a batch and my mom put them in a container and stuck them in the fridge, they lasted 3 weeks!

Just make sure they are kept in the fridge if keeping them for that long.

How to Freeze 7 Layer Bars

These keto magic cookie or 7 layer bars, whatever you want to call them, freeze wonderfully. Make sure that they are cooled completely, cut them into squares and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. 

Place them in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag, then pop them in the freezer. When ready to eat them, place them into the fridge for a few hours before serving

Other Low Carb Dessert Recipes:

If you’re in the mood for some other Keto Dessert recipes then try our:

• Best Keto Brownies
• Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
• Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Sugar-Free Condensed Milk

All of them are Keto-friendly and low carb, and you and your family will love them!

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