So I'm sure you've heard of these before but I don't think you've ever had them quite like this!

Tell me, do you call them "Magic Bars", "Hello Dollies", or something else? We've always called them magic bars in my house but I sort of like the name hello dolly. Either way I decided to put a delicious spin on a classic again! I know that you’ve probably all had magic bars before but these are a like the upgraded version.

Magic bars were something that my mom made pretty often when I was little because they were one of my dad’s favorites and they are such an easy recipe to make. She taught me how to make them when I was pretty young but I could never seem to make them as good as hers. Plus, you all know how I can’t help myself when it comes to tweaking recipes.

Don’t get me wrong, the classic way is delicious and I know why they are so named, because they disappear like magic every time. It’s just, I always felt like they’d be better on a chewy crust over the typical crunchy graham cracker one and the coconut just needed to be toasted. As far as I’m concerned, un-toasted coconut is the equivalent of a nice car that never gets driven. Yes, it’s fine as it is, but there is so much potential. Then there is the graham crumbs turned into a cookie dough. It’s so, so, so good!

And you guys probably noticed that I’m still on my coconut kick and used fresh coconut in these. However, like I said the other day, you can totally just use dried coconut shreds for this recipe and it’s also fine if they are sweetened. I prefer unsweetened but it’s up to you.

If you are a fan of magic bars, or so unfortunate as to never have tried them, then you need to make these. They could change your life…..or at least make your day.

Deluxe Hello Dolly Bars (aka Magic Bars)

Magic bars are a classic that everyone enjoys and these just got an upgrade!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 - 24 bars

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons almond butter or cashew butter
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 cup graham cracker or vanilla cookie crumbs finely ground *see note (I used graham crackers from this recipe

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed coconut milk
150 g about 1 cup dairy free semi-sweet chocolate,chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds I used fresh but dried coconut works perfectly
1 cup pecans chopped

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) and grease a 13x9 inch pan. Spread coconut out on a baking sheet and place in oven to toast. Stir every 2-3 minutes until evenly golden.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat coconut oil, nut butter, almond milk, and brown sugar together until creamed. Add, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until mixed. Add the flour and graham crumbs and beat until well combined.
Press dough into pan as evenly as you can. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 5 minutes then pour sweetened condensed milk over top and gently spread. Top with chocolate, then nuts, then toasted coconut.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the filling is bubbling and caramelizing. Remove from oven and allow the bars to cool for about 20 minutes before cutting.

Recipe Notes

*If you are vegan and prefer to not make your own graham crackers you can replace the crumbs in this recipe with a number of lightly sweet cookies or crackers from the store. I think Nabisco makes grahams without honey but Speculoos and Biscoff Speculoos cookies, animal crackers, cinnamon teddy grahams, and Girl Scout's Thanks-a-lots are all vegan. Double check to make sure though.

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Homemade Granola with Figs & Blueberries
2. Goji Berry Banana Chia Breakfast Jars
3. Rice Bowls with Crispy Chickpeas & Aji Ranch
4. Colorful Veggie Hummus Pizza
5. Bananas, Sunflower Seeds, & Oat Bars

Also, check out my recap of last year

1. Recapping 2018 for Gringalicious - Part 1
2. Recapping 2018 for Gringalicious - Part 2
3. Recapping 2018 for Gringalicious - Part 3