In today’s post: This update on the classic seven layer bar recipe includes pretzels, M&Ms, and a sprinkle of sea salt on top!
Today’s recipe is a twist on an easy classic: Magic Cookie Bars. Now, I’m guessing you’ve had a magic cookie bar before – but it might have been called something else. Magic cookie bars are a layered treat that’s SUPER easy to make. They start with graham cracker crumbs and butter, and then are topped with a variety of ingredients like chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and nuts. Sweetened condensed milk goes over everything, and all these layers “magically” bake up into a cookie bar: hence the name.
BUT you may know them by a different name. They’re often called seven layers bars (because of the seven standard ingredients). I’ve also heard them called Hello Dolly bars – anyone know why they got that name?
Pretzels + M&Ms
No matter what you call them, they’re easy to put together and taste great. My only complaint is that they can be a little bit too sweet. So I decided to swap out a few ingredients to make a saltier version starring pretzels + M&Ms. Still super easy to make, just a slightly different flavor profile.
We throw some crushed pretzels in with the graham cracker crumbs to give the buttery crust a salty twist, then layer more pretzels in under the chocolate chips. I used M&Ms instead of the butterscotch chips and coconut, then added a sprinkle of sea salt after baking.
Pretzel M&M Magic Bars
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs from 11 graham cracker sheets
- 1/2 cup Crushed Pretzels from 1 cup pretzel snaps
- 10 tablespoons Butter
- 1.5 cups Pretzel Snaps
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk 14 oz
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Mini M&Ms
- Coarse salt optional
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Crush 11 sheets graham crackers to yield 1.5 cups crumbs. Crush 1 cup pretzels to yield 1/2 cup crumbs. Combine and place in a 9×13 baking dish. Melt the butter and pour over the crumbs. Stir with a fork to combine, and then press down in an even layer.
- Place pretzels in a single layer over the crust, using about 1.5 cups or whatever is needed to cover the crust.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk over the pretzels, pouring and spreading it to evenly cover the whole pan.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and M&Ms over the condensed milk, and press down gently.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes until lightly browned. After removing from the oven, sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Cool completely before serving.
Peggy says
Very tast