Coconut dream bars. Magic cookie bars. Hello Dolly bars. They are one in the same of a classic cookie. This recipe is a spin on this cookie bar that typically has a graham cracker crust, coconut, chocolate and nuts. Here, I’ve made a buttery pretzel crust,and layered it with sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, coconut, peanut butter chips and chocolate baked to crispy edges and a chewy center– a perfect balance of peanut butter, salt and sweet. These will make you a rock star at your next pot luck or bake sale!
I was updating my recipe card for my husband’s favorite cookie bar– Hello Dollies. We had a few too many bags of pretzels I wanted to make use of, and I got an idea. What if I tweaked the Hello Dolly recipe, and made a pretzel crust and added peanut butter? Why not? After two attempts, I was was satisfied with my results and so was my husband. If you love that salt and sweet combo, plus peanut butter and chocolate– you will want to make these. Stat!
If you’ve never had “Magic Layer Bars” or “Hello Dollies” or “Seven Layer Bars” they are one in the same. They are super simple to make– a graham cracker crust, melted butter, a can of sweetened condensed milk, coconut, nuts and chocolate.
With this version, I decided to use pretzels instead of graham crackers.
I have peanut butter and mini chocolate chips, coconut and a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Using my food processor, I pulsed four cups of mini pretzels and added melted butter and sugar. Done and done!
I’ve prepped a 9×13 pan with non-stick baking spray and make a parchment paper “sling”. I use binder clips to hold the paper in place. I dumped the pretzel crust ingredients in and…
…firmly pressed the crust with a measuring cup.
In a microwave safe bowl, I whisked together some of the sweetened condensed milk together with peanut butter and heated it enough to soften. Whisk, whisk, whisk. Perfect. The rest of the sweetened condensed milk is whisked in, making sure I got every drop scraped out of the can.
Now, we pour that mixture all over, and tilt the pan a bit to move it around.
The mixture is pretty thick, so an offset spatula helps to get it into the edges really well. I decided to decorate the top with extra pretzels. You don’t have to add extra salt– but I added just a pinch of coarse sea salt on top. Pop this into the oven and voila!
The aroma is intoxicating, but I have to wait a bit for these to cool for a bit. At last, I’m read to grab the edges of the paper sling (you can always use foil) and lift these out.
That pretzel crust is a thing of beauty! I was so looking forward to trying these.
I cut these into 36 small squares, so that I would leave each mini pretzel intact.
My husband was hovering over these, as I was taking pictures. We each grabbed one and took a bite.
TASTING NOTES: Wow! Where do I start? Sweetened condensed milk can be on the very sweet side. Not this time! The first thing I tasted was peanut butter, then the buttery slightly salty crust. Some bites gave me a sneak peak of chocolate, and the coconut had a nice texture but didn’t overpower the cookie. I really liked the crispy edges and the chewy center. These went into my husband’s lunch pail and I saw him digging into them after dinner. That’s fine by me. To see the joy in his eyes is the best compliment I can receive.
Peanut Butter and Pretzel Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 4 cup mini pretzels plus additional for the top
- 3 tablespoons sugar
For the filling:
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk 14-ounce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips recommended: mini chips
- 1 cup sweetened coconut
Garnish:
- 1 pinch coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Make a “sling” of either aluminum foil or parchment paper in a 9X13 pan sprayed with non-stick spray. (This makes for easier removal and cleanup.
For the crust:
- Using a food processor, pulse the pretzels until they are fine crumbs, with a few larger pieces (about the size of a pea.
- Add the melted butter and sugar, and gently pulse to combine.(Likewise, you can use a rolling pin to crush the pretzels in a plastic zipper bag.)
- Pour the crumb mixture into the pan, and using the bottom a measuring cup or drinking glass, press the crumb mixture until firm.
For the filling:
- Place the peanut butter and about half the condensed milk into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. Whisk to combine until smooth. Add the remaining condensed milk and continue to whisk until combined.
- Pour the mixture evenly over the crust, tilting the pan to spread it out evenly. (I use an off-set spatula to gently push into the corners of the pan.
- Evenly spread the peanut butter and chocolate chips and the coconut all over the mixture.
- Add some whole mini pretzels on top, as a decoration. Gently press into the mixture.
- If desired, sprinkle just a pinch of coarse salt all over if you want to increase the salty flavor.
- Bake for about 22-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool.
- If using a sling, grab opposite corners and lift out of the pan and place onto a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut into large or small pieces, according to your preference.
- Store, covered at room temperature. These should keep for about five days, but they never last that long in our home!
Nutrition
Leave a Reply