Seven Layer Cookie Bars
July 19, 2008 
As promised, here are the famous seven layer cookie bars that you will make for every occasion the rest of the summer. I guarantee it. And then when the holidays come around, you'll make them as gifts to give to people. Be prepared though; you will never lose these people as friends, so give carefully. :)
This recipe isn't really a recipe; sorry to all of you relentless measurers. It's just layering ingredients in a certain order. Take a look at these pictures, and my apologies for the weird lighting in some of them.
Layer One: a stick of melted butter in baking dish
Layer Two: a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs to cover the bottom, probably a cup and a half
Layer Three: a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk (don't scrape it out so you'll have extra for the top)
Layer Four: butterscotch chips, about a cup
Layer Five: chocolate chips, about a cup
Layer Six: shredded coconut, about a cup
Layer Seven: chopped pecans, about a cup
Layer Eight (sort of): scrape out the can of sweetened condensed milk and drizzle on top
Press it down a little with a fork, and then bake it for 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Let it cool a bit, and then pop the pan in the fridge for maybe an hour to let the bars set up. Cut them into squares, and just try and make them last more than a day!
Reader Comments (18)
I have this same recipe, only we call them "Hello, Dollies!" They are a favorite of ours!
I'd love to teach my girls how to make these, but they can't have the nuts because of their braces. Any ideas?
I think everyone has their own variation of this dessert which is what makes it so great! You can make lots of substitutes if you'd like. Sandy, maybe you could try old-fashioned oats on top instead of the nuts. Still top it with the extra sweetened condensed milk and maybe a little extra melted butter to soften them up a bit. Anybody else have ideas?
sounds delicious Kendra!
Wow! I had no idea these were so easy! Even better! Or worse, depending on how you look at it...as I have a tendency to not know when to stop with these little lovlies. How delicious. These are my favorite this week.
You're not kidding, Emily. I've made them four times in the last ten days. I've spent more on butterscotch than I have on milk and orange juice. And I'm totally okay with that.
Ok, so this is why I'm taking one of your classed next week, :), but is there a difference between semi-sweet and milk choc. chips when baking these little yummies...do people always use semi sweet, is that just the rule?? I'm excited to try these and oh the mac and cheese, I have a non vegetable friendly toddler, but crazy about m and c so hopefully the trickery will woo him!!!
Ok, confession time here! I made these when my kids were at the pool thinking I would have a nice treat for them when they got home. I tried one and proceeded to hide them so I could have them all to myself. Yummy stuff!!! Thanks for sharing these. I'd never had them before.
Whitney, great question about the chocolate chips. When most recipes call for chocolate chips, they're referring to semi-sweet. You could use milk chocolate, but usually the sugar in whatever recipe will add plenty of sweetness that you don't need from the milk chocolate. Also, milk chocolate chips aren't as stable because of the higher amount of fat. They're a lot more melty.
Kristina, I LOVE that you hid these from your kids. And you're definitely not the first person to do that. Somehow the combination of ingredients creates this cosmic subconscious hoarding instinct. It's weird but oh so yummy.
Literally, I've been obsessively eyeing this recipe for what seems like forever, with no good excuse or intention to use it. Now, I'm beginning to realize my tummy and tastebuds are excuse enough! In my haste to stick with spooning out cookie dough as an entirely appropriate dessert for those who cross over our threshold, I've neglected the fun of preparing. Preparing anything, for that matter. Luckily, I enjoy the presence of some really lovely ladies every Thursday evening, so I'm excited to finally get my hands on this one. I was wondering though, what ingredient would you recommend, with a similar texture and consistency, to substitute the coconut?
I have so much fun reading your posts! You really get me eager to jump into my kitchen. :)
Does anyone have a version of this recipe that includes some "orange" ingredient. A classmate made these in highschool and one of the layers was something orange. Thanks.
I made these cookies once with a dry cake mix instead of graham crackers.It was delecious.
these cookies are amzing ive never heard of them until my teacher cooked them for me.. i like ur webite
can u please put the temp. in celcius?
The butterscotch chips are pretty orange, especially if you buy a cheap brand. I ADORE these. A friend in grade school brought the recipe and I've had it ever since (over 20 years lets just say).
i made them today with sliced almonds instead of pecans, and I used maple syrup and more chocolate chips on top since there wasn't enough milk left in the can.
My mum used to make these all the time. We would just have dark chocolate chips and slivered almonds (instead of pecans), but the condensed milk would go on last so it would drizzle through everything. Very addictive!
Oh wow this looks all sorts of evil! VERRRYYYYYYYYY tempted though!