Creamy Chocolate Coconut Magic Bars {Gluten-Free}
Published May 09, 2013•Updated Mar 21, 2023
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Magic bars are layered with sweet chocolate, coconut, and crunchy pecan flavors, and they couldn’t be easier to make. This gluten-free version is perfect for sharing at potlucks, picnics, and parties!
Chewy, sweet, and crunchy. Magic bars are called ‘magic’ for a reason. This dessert has everything: sweet coconut, melty chocolate, crunchy nuts, a tender crust, and it can be prepped and baked in under 30 minutes. This gluten-free version is perfect for gatherings where food sensitivities are a concern, but it’s been a favorite on this site for over a decade because it is a hit even with those for whom eating gluten isn’t a concern.
These quick and easy bars are the perfect dessert for super busy home cooks that need a sweet treat for a crowd, and don’t have time to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. To make this recipe, you only need to press the easy coconut flour crust into a baking pan, layer the chocolate in, sprinkle the coconut and nuts, and then pour thick, rich sweetened condensed milk over the top.
If you love desserts that travel well, and are perfect for everything from casual bake sales to festive parties, then magic bars are just the treat you’ve been looking for.
What are magic bars?
Magic bars get their name for the “magical” layers of flavor in this addictive cookie bar. Typically, recipes will include: sweet coconut, bitter-sweet chocolate, sweetened condensed milk (which give the cookies a caramel flavor), crunchy nuts, graham cracker cookies, and rich butter.
Magic bars also go by 7-layer bars or dolly bars. Recipes for 7-layers bars also include butterscotch chips. There are so many fun variations of this easy dessert, which adds to the fun of making (and eating) these wonderful snacks.
How to Make
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and prep the baking pan.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the ingredients for the crust. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan.
- Top the crust with chocolate chips, then pecans and coconut. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the bars.
- Bake the bars just until the coconut is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing.
Ingredients
- Coconut Flour, Light Brown Sugar, Kosher Salt, Unsalted Butter – Pantry staples that you’ll need to make the crust.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet chips have a bitter-sweet taste that is just the right amount of sweet. Milk chocolate chips work too, but will give you a sweeter seven layer bars.
- Shredded Sweetened Coconut – Be sure to use sweetened shredded coconut, which is moister than unsweetened coconut.
- Pecans – Chopped pecans add a nutty crunch to the bars. You could also use walnuts or almonds.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – An unassuming ingredient that does some heavy lifting in this recipe by binding the ingredients together, and producing a sweet, caramel-like taste in each bite.
Tips
- To make removing the bars from the pan easier, grease the 8×8 baking dish with butter and line with parchment paper.
How to store
Storing chocolate coconut bars in the refrigerator will help these dessert bars maintain the perfect consistency for cutting into squares. You can either keep them in the baking pan, and cover tightly with plastic wrap, or place them in an airtight container. Enjoy within 5-7 days.
Variations
- Try different mix-ins – Marshmallows, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, and chopped dates add their own unique layers of flavors. Chop your favorite candy bars up and add them for a decadent mix-in.
- Make them salty and sweet – Chopped gluten-free pretzels make an amazing salty-sweet 7-layer bar.
- Drizzle with butterscotch – Layer magic bars achieve another level of, well, magic, when you drizzle them with butterscotch before serving.
FAQs
This cookie bar recipe freezes really well. Slice the magic cookie bars and place them in an airtight container. If you stack the bars in the container, use a piece of parchment paper to separate the bottom layer from the top layer. This will prevent them from sticking together.
When slicing magic bars, a good rule of thumb is to refrigerate the bars before slicing. When you bake the magic bars, all of the delicious ingredients will melt together to create the perfect 7-layer bar. An hour or two in the refrigerator will firm up the melty chocolate and sticky sweet coconut just enough to make clean slices.
More Dessert Bar Recipes
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Fourth of July Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
- Pink Lemonade Bars
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
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Creamy Chocolate Coconut Magic Bars {Gluten-Free}
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (see note)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1 1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut (see note)
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with butter and line with parchment paper (this will makes it easy to pull the bars out in one piece when they finish baking).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, light brown sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter, eggs, and almond extract all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly combined.
- Spread the batter out in the prepared pan until even. Bake until it just begins to set, 8 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top. Top with pecans and coconut. Drizzle the sweetened condensed mil in even stripes across the coconut.
- Return the bars to the oven and bake just until the coconut is golden brown, 13-15 minutes.
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi,
I loved the gluten free version. I can’t find it. Help!!!
Robin
Apologies Robin! I just sent you an email, but if you don’t get it, just send me a note at jess@inquiringchef.com and I’ll send you the old version. We recently made some updates to this recipe!