These 1960s Hello Dolly Bars travel under several aliases. I’ve seen them referred to as “Magic Bars,” “Six Layer Bars” and “Seven Layer Bars.” By any name, the treats are chewy-gooey-delicious and oh, so simple to make. You might like to bake up a batch to give as gifts to your friends and family. Alternatively, you can do what I did the other day, and just hog the entire lot for yourself.
Looking for other holiday-worthy treats? Click here to see my cookie collection.
Hello Dolly Bars: The Step-By-Step Recipe
To start, line a square 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, as shown. Use some softened butter to help the paper stick to the sides of the pan. The paper will permit the easy release of the dessert after is has cooled.
Now toss 10 tablespoons of butter into a medium-size glass bowl…
And melt the butter in the microwave.
Stir 2 cups graham cracker crumbs into the butter.
Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, and press it down to form a crust.
Evenly scatter the crust with 1 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips…
A handful (about about 1/4 cup) butterscotch morsels (these can fill in any gaps between the chocolate chips)…
A cup of coarsely chopped nuts (I used slivered almonds here)…
And a cup of sweetened shredded coconut.
Then crack open a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk…
And drizzle it evenly over the dessert.
Bake at 350°F until the chocolate melts and the coconut begins to brown — about 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least one hour.
Unmold, and cut into 30 squares or rectangles.
You’re looking swell, Dolly! Enjoy the bars with coffee for dessert or hot chocolate for a bedtime snack. You’ll never fall asleep.
Got your own version of this classic 1960s recipe? Talk to me in the comment field below.
Meantime, happy holidays to you and yours! xKevin
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And…here’s the printable:
1960s Hello Dolly Bars
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
- 2 cups crushed graham crackers
- 1 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup butterscotch morsels optional
- 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Center the oven rack; preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 square baking dish with parchment paper.
- Put the butter in a medium-size glass bowl. Microwave on "high" until the butter is just melted. Stir, with a fork, the crushed graham crackers into the butter. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking pan, pressing it down firmly with knuckles. Layer the crust evenly with the chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, nuts, and coconut. Then drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly all over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the chocolate melts and the coconut begins to toast -- about 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least one hour. Unmold and cut into 30 squares or "bars." Enjoy this sweet treat with coffee or hot chocolate. Refrigerate leftover bars for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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Vickie says
Good morning Kevin, everything looks yummy!! Christmas dinner here I come. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes u have given out.
You, Mr. Fox and your family, have a safe and joyful Christmas. Enjoy that spiked eggnog !!
Heidi Jaeger says
Hello Dolly bars recipe!! I used to make these for my friends as an after school snack in the 60’s. I have tried to remember the recipe as it has long since been lost to time. Thanks so much for printing it here. I can’t wait to make a batch of these again.
Darla Metro says
Good morning Kevin. I have made these cookies for years but with a little variation from yours. The first thing I put on top of the graham cracker crust is the coconut. This is followed by equal amounts (about 3/4 cup) of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over which I drizzle the sweetened condensed milk. It is all topped off by finely chopped walnuts pressed in lightly. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let cool, cut, and ENJOY! They are a wonderful combination of salt/sweet and so chewy. Everyone loves them.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Mariska L says
The Dolly bars look great and easily converted to gluten free, thanks.
To you , Mr. Fox and your lovely fur babies have wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy new year!
Debbie says
I make a version of these every Christmas. My recipe calls for putting the melted butter in the bottom of the pan and the layering the graham cracker crumbs on top, followed by chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut. Then covered with the sweetened condensed milk. I may try mixing the butter and crumbs; the bottom layer will probably hold together better. I also like the parchment paper idea. I have done other chip and nut combinations with success. Just don’t use chocolate sweetened condensed milk (was in grocery stores for a couple of years but I haven’t seen it in quite sometime) – it came out awful.
Kitty says
I use the recipe from the Wisconsin Electric Power Company’s Christmas cookie cookbook from about 1969. In the l960s and 70s they would produce a beautiful Christmas booklet every year. They called it Hello Dolly bars, which is the only recipe I have seen up until today that called them that. Merry Christmas, Kevin and family!
mary meehan says
oh Kevin.. i am not a baker.. please help!!
: 1)cannot get bittersweet baking chocolate here for some reason.. can I sub a 100g bar of Lindt 70%Cacao Dark chocolate? 2) there must be an easy way of measuring a cube of 1 T butter eg what size cube would it make?
I’m sure i would wow my friends if i finally baked something!
thanks so much
mary m
ps
have a wonderful holiday!
Jeanne says
My grandma used to make these! Only difference was she used chopped pecans instead of almonds because she and gramps owned a pecan orchard. Every recipe that called for nuts used pecans in our house! I don’t think I knew there was any other type of nut till I was an adult. And we NEVER had pumpkin pie during the holidays, always pecan pie!
Victoria Miller says
Thanks for this! Finally someone who remembers they were called Hello Dollys! Tried them once with Ghirardelli brownie mix as the base…yum! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Mr. Fox and the family!
Lisa says
Mine are a little different, from the Eagle Brand label, and no egg, but so good! I don’t make them often, not even annually, they are much too good and with a small family I eat too many!
Bonnie Morgan says
Merry Xmas !
I make these every Year for the holidays . My mom would make these and they were my favorite cookie ! I make mine with chopped walnuts And semi sweet chocolate chips , coconut and graham crackers . I liked the idea of slivered almonds for a different texture ! Visiting your website is my idea of enjoyment ! Thank you so much !
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Mary Meehan – This recipe is very forgiving. You can, for instance, skip the bittersweet chocolate and just use ordinary chocolate chips. As for the butter component, if you are measuring by weight, 10 tablespoons butter equals 141 grams. Hope this is helpful to you!
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I know these as “Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars”.
Nuts of choice are Pecans.
Decadent, textural and attractive.
Speed of disappearance: superfasssssssst !!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Beverly – That’s another name for these cookies: “Disappearing Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars.”
Ann Waugh says
THANK YOU KEVIN! I had forgotten all about this recipe. Was this on a can of sweetened condensed milk or some other package of something way back in the 60’s or 70’s? I remember making them sometime in the past but have long lost the simple recipe. Thank you so much for tripping the memory switch and giving back such a fun and delicious (albeit decadent and terribly unhealthy–like who cares, it’s holiday time. Right?)
Cindy says
My mom would have used walnuts in her “hello Dollies” she made them every Christmas. Think I’ll whip up a batch tommorow, what a great memory of my Mom. Thanks for refreshing my memory Kevin.
Mary M says
thanks Kevin for the quick reply…the tip on weighing the butter is definitely helpful, and i will try the recipe with semi-sweet chocolate…(and my favourite nuts- walnuts
… it looks yummy!
mary m
Dorothy Fuller says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these and have ben making these since the 60’s when they first came out but with walnuts and have used pecans. Walnuts our favorite.Quick, easy and so good. Oh yes, last week did the Blueberry/lemon loaf and so deliscous. Keep them coming
Durf says
You did it again, Kevin! I changed the dessert menu at the last minute in order to make these, and boy were they a hit!! I have to make them again tonite cuz I didn’t get a chance to eat as many as I wanted. I’ve made the Magic Bars version (I think it’s on the back of a food item which I can’t remember) but these are superior.
Jeanie says
I make this every year. My family refers to them as awesome bars. I only put coconut on half, because some claim not to like coconut. I put the sweetened condensed milk on top of the crust, then the toppings as available. This year I forgot to get graham crackers, so I used pretzel chip crumbs. Gave them a trail bar taste.