This Magic Bars Recipe features a graham cracker crust, chocolate chips, M&M’s, and oats, with sweetened condensed milk for a gooey finish. Swap M&M’s to match any holiday.
Try these 7 Layer Bars or 7 Layer Pumpkin Bars for more Magic Bar variations.
author’s note
The Easy Dessert Everyone Loves!
These Spring Confetti Bars are consistently one of the most-made and loved recipes every year as springtime rolls around. So, it’s about time I add another holiday dessert bar! And while these bars certainly aren’t limited to Easter or springtime, they do make for a beautiful festive treat.
And BTW, Magic Bars are even easier to make than Confetti Bars. They come together ridiculously quickly. No mixer, chilling dough, or complicated steps. Just layer everything in the pan and bake.
Before we get too far, by way of a disclaimer, Magic Bars are rich and sweet. If you don’t love super-sweet desserts, I’d recommend this Carrot Cake instead for a springtime treat.
That said, if you do love a gooey, chocolate-loaded dessert bar, this Magic Bars Recipe is going to be right up your alley.
Magic Bars Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | Tips & Swaps |
|---|---|
| Graham Cracker Crumbs | Measure crumbs, not sheets. Blend until very fine for a sturdy crust. |
| Unsalted Butter | Let it cool before mixing so the crust is not greasy. Salted butter works, just slightly reduce added salt. |
| Sweetened Condensed Milk | Only use full-fat sweetened condensed milk. Do not substitute evaporated milk. |
| Quick Oats | Use quick oats for softer texture. Old-fashioned oats are too chewy and steel-cut will not work. |
| Milk Chocolate Chips | I love milk chocolate for sweetness. Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate to reduce overall sweetness. |
| M&M’s | Use holiday colors to match the season. |
How To Make Magic Bars Recipe
- Crust: Blend graham crackers into fine crumbs. Stir with cooled melted butter and salt. Press firmly into a lined pan.
- Condensed milk: Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crust.
- Toppings: Sprinkle oats, the chocolate chips, and M&M’s evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for about 23 to 28 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- Cool completely: This is the hardest part. Let them cool fully before cutting.
chelsea’s recipe tip
What a Million Batches Taught Me:
I’ve made my fair share of these over the years! Here are my top tips!
- Line the pan with parchment paper to make removal easy. Avoid foil or wax paper. Leave extra paper hanging over to lift the bars out.
- These bars are gooey, so let them cool completely before cutting.
- Use a sharp knife for clean cuts. Run the knife under hot water, dry it off, and repeat for every cut.
Storage
Keep leftovers of this magic bars recipe in a sealed container, separating layers with parchment or wax paper. Chill if it’s warm, or keep on the counter if it’s cool.
Enjoy within 3-5 days.
For freezing advice, here’s an article on freezing and thawing baked goods.
More Spring Inspired Treats:
Desserts
Easter Cupcakes
Desserts
Strawberries and Cream Cake
Easter
Easter Popcorn
Desserts
Raspberry Fluff
Magic Bars
Video
Equipment
- Blender high-powered
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 3/4 cup, melted
- 2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs measure when crushed into crumbs; about 20 crackers
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk full-fat, see note 1
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips see note 2
- 1/2 cup butterscotch baking chips or more white chocolate chips instead
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips or more butterscotch chips instead
- 1 cup M&M’s see note 3
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy bar removal. Don’t line the pan with wax paper or foil. Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside to cool back to room temperature—using hot butter makes the crust greasy.
- Coarsely break up graham crackers and add to a powerful blender (you may need to do this in batches). Pulse/blend until all crackers are fine crumbs. Measure a level 2 and 1/2 cups (288g) of the crumbs and add to a large bowl, along with the salt. Stir in the melted but cooled butter and mix to create a thick mixture. Press this mixture into the prepared pan and use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to firmly press the crust into an even layer.
- Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust. Spread it into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Evenly top the condensed milk with quick oats, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, and M&M’s. Gently press everything into an even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven until the edges are golden brown, about 23–28 minutes. My oven is done right at 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow bars to cool completely, about 1–2 hours. Speed up the cooling process by putting them in the fridge after they’ve cooled for about 20 minutes at room temperature. Use the parchment overhang to remove the bars, and use a sharp knife to make decisive cuts. Run the knife under warm water, dry on a kitchen towel, and repeat for each cut.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yummy dessert that was super fun to make and easy to change up just a little bit since I substituted peanut butter chips for the butterscotch ones and added extra milk chocolate chips instead of using white chocolate chips since I already had them on hand and it was still delicious beyond belief. Thank you for your amazing recipes as I have quite a few saved to make.
Delish! So thrilled this was a hit! Thanks Patricia!
I have made these many times. They are a huge hit at family parties. One trick I’ve used the past few times is to use a pizza cutter to slice them. Straight, easy cuts and no danger of cutting yourself!
Love the pizza cutter tip! Thanks so much Mark! 🙂
Easter bars
Hope you enjoy them!
Going to make these bars.
Hope you love them! 🙂
will be making this soon can i use vegan butter as butter and ghee makes me vomit i never had magic bars before sorry for early comment as am in Singapore will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya