Hello Dolly Bars
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These Hello Dolly bars are ridiculously delicious! A buttery graham cracker crust is piled high with layers of chocolate, nuts, and coconut before being drenched in sweetened condensed milk and baked to toasty perfection. Need I say more?!
Hello Dolly bars, also commonly known as Hello Dollies, Seven Layer bars, Magic bars, or even Seven Layer Magic bars, are a classic all-American dessert. This simple yet decadent dessert first became popular in the 1960s and has never slowed down.
The reasons are obvious too — it’s pretty hard to beat a rich, buttery graham cracker crust topped with silky melted chocolate and crunchy toasted nuts in a bath of sweet, satiny milk. Plus, this Hello Dolly bars recipe requires only 6 ingredients, is a breeze to put together, and is super easy to customize.
Table of Contents
Make a batch of these heavenly Hello Dollies for your next potluck, barbecue, or birthday party. Of course, you can also simply make some to have around the house. Be warned though! You might just want to gobble them all up at once!
For more binge-worthy desserts, check out my Butterscotch Blondies, Heath Bar Cookies, or these Smores Bars.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs – Gives the crust a honey-kissed sweetness and uniquely crumbly texture. About 10 full graham cracker sheets will give you the 2 cups needed for the recipe.
- Butter – Helps hold the crust together and adds a sweet, slightly salty richness to the bars.
- Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips deliver a deliciously gooey layer of melted chocolate with just the right amount of sweetness. Feel free to mix in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate if you prefer.
- Pecans – Compliment the flavors of the dessert perfectly with an earthy, nutty flavor and rich, buttery mouthfeel. Experiment with other nuts if you’d like.
- Shredded Coconut – Adds an earthy, floral sweetness and mild nutty crunch. I use unsweetened coconut, but the choice is yours.
- Condensed Milk – Pulls the recipe together and infuses it with a concentrated dose of sweet, milky richness. Be sure to pick the sweetened variety.
How to Get the Perfect Crust
For the best graham cracker crust, start by getting your crumbs as uniform as possible. To avoid it falling apart, be sure to use enough butter and mix thoroughly. Once it’s in the pan you can use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to get an even surface. Press down firmly, but not too firmly, or you could end up with a crust that is way too hard.
- Prepare the Oven. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Use parchment paper to line a 9X9 inch baking pan, with some paper hanging over.
- Make the Crust. Use a food processor to pulse the graham crackers into crumbs or crush them by hand in a Ziploc bag. Combine the crumbs with melted butter in a bowl and use a fork to thoroughly mix. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and press down to form a graham cracker crust on the bottom.
- Build the Layers. Make a single layer of chocolate chips on top of the graham cracker base, followed by a layer of pecans, and then a final layer of shredded coconut. Slowly and evenly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
- Bake the Bars. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. You want the edges to be crispy and a slight golden brown color on top.
- Chill and Slice. Let the bars cool at room temperature for at least an hour or chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Slice into bars, serve, and enjoy!
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Absolutely! These Hello Dollies are amazing just the way they are AND they are also perfect for customizing. Here are a few ideas for ways to tweak your bars but don’t be afraid to branch out and get creative.
– Instead of a graham cracker crust, use Oreos, ginger snaps, vanilla wafers, or any of your favorite cookies.
– Replace the semi-sweet chips with dark chocolate, white chocolate, or a blend of the two.
– Add a layer of caramel chips, peanut butter chips, or candy bar bits. A crushed Heath bar is a great option.
– Incorporate walnuts, almonds, macadamias, or any of your favorite nuts.
– You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by choosing gluten-free graham cracker crumbs. For a dairy-free version, use coconut oil rather than butter, vegan-friendly chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed coconut milk in place of regular.
There is a bit of debate over exactly how these sweet treats got their name. However, the most commonly accepted origin story is that they were simply named for the Broadway musical, Hello, Dolly! which was widely popular when this layered dessert was first crafted.
The earliest accounts of a Hello Dolly bars recipe, with the name attached, come from a food column in a September 1965 edition of The Week magazine. Right around this time, sweetened condensed milk was becoming widely available and popular, giving rise to recipes featuring it. Other, nearly identical recipes were popping up with names like Magic bars, 7 Layer bars, and more.
Kept in an airtight container, these Hello Dolly bars will stay fresh at room temperature for up to a week.
To extend their shelf life further, you can store them in the refrigerator where they will stay good for a couple of weeks. Or pop them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
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Hello Dolly Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 sheets)
- 10 tbsp butter melted
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Line a 9×9″ baking dish with parchment paper (with overhang).
- Crush the graham cracker sheets in a bag or pulse to a crumb in food processor. Transfer to a bowl and using a fork, toss with melted butter to mix thoroughly. Press into bottom of prepared baking dish.
- On top of graham cracker base, sprinkle chocolate chips in a single layer. Then a layer of pecans and then final layer of shredded coconut. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until top is slightly golden and edges are crispy. Let cool 1 hour to set before slicing (or chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made these a few days ago… so yummy
I poured the condensed milk over the graham cracker crust before the other ingredients instead of last! I wonder if there is a big difference?? Mine were good but may have been better if I’d poured it on last like you wrote in your recipe
Either way….. yum and awesome crumb led on top of ice cream 🍨
Good to know they still came out tasty Kelly! Thanks for coming back to let me know. 🙂
thank you for your support with great ideas for dinner. I am making the bars, they look great.
Thanks so much Cathy!
Love your recipes…..such great flavors..well done!!! So nice to have a new flavor path to follow.
Thanks so much Tina!
I love these! Great to go snack.
Thanks Laura!
The Dolly Bars looks o tasty. They remind me of the Seven Layer Cookie from the 1960’s .
They really are so good Kathleen. Hello Dolly bars, also commonly known as Hello Dollies, Seven Layer bars, Magic bars, or even Seven Layer Magic bars are basically all the same!