Seven Layer Magic Bars Recipe (Keto and Dairy Free)

My Seven Layer Magic Bars will take you down memory lane as it is very close to the classic recipe you remember from the dessert table at dinners during the Christmas season.

This easy dessert is sometimes called magic bars, seven-layer bars, keto omg bars, or one I haven’t ever heard of before, but maybe you have, hello dolly bars!

With all of the different names they are called, this magic cookie bar recipe is a good thing to satisfying your sweet tooth.

Either way, this delicious recipe for keto magic bars is a new version of a delicious treat, that my family loves!

A keto magic bar recipe is one that never gets old and is still made today with lots of variations! 

It is my favorite sweet treat with layers of flavor from toasted coconut flakes, layers of chocolate from semi-sweet chocolate chips and the best part, the buttery crust!

The original recipe calls for all the sugar and gluten with the buttery graham cracker crust, but I have found a way to make this not only sugar free but gluten free.

My recipe for one of the easiest desserts is even dairy free as I do not use butter but coconut oil vegan ghee instead.

They come out to 2.7 g net carbs per square.

Mind blowing really and some would look at me with skeptical eyes, but it really is an amazing easy recipe!

The only steps that take a little time is making the keto sweetened condensed milk and crushing the keto graham cereal to fine crumbs in a food processor.

You can instead follow my substitution tips listed below to skip the pre-made cereal and make your own bottom crust mixture from simple ingredients.

What you will need to make these Keto Magic Cookie Bars

• ​Almond Flour
• Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
• Monk fruit Sweetener or Comparable Granulated Sweetener
• Sea Salt
• Coconut Oil or Butter or Vegan Butter if you want dairy free
• Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips
• ​Medium Bowl
• Coconut Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream
• 8×8 square pan
• Parchment Paper

Let’s make the Keto Sweetened Condensed Milk!

First thing is you need to make the dairy free keto sweetened condensed milk so it can have time to cool and thicken up.

In a small saucepan melt 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup Livlo vegan ghee while whisking.

If you are not concerned with being dairy free, you can of course substitute in 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup butter as they are equally interchangeable.

Now whisk in the sweeteners.

In my original recipe I used erythritol and allulose to maintain the pouring consistency.

In this case of being dairy free, you need to use erythritol and keto brown sugar instead of the allulose.

The keto brown sugar helps it to thicken up better I have found.

Now bring the milk mixture to a boil while whisking.

Once it has come to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer 10-12 minutes.

Stir it occasionally and watch that it does not boil again and stays at a simmer.

Now you will need 1 egg yolk in a small bowl.

Slowly add 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk in the bowl while whisking.

You are tempering in the egg and slowly bringing the temperature of it up to match the milk mixture without scrambling it.

Once it is incorporated then whisk it into the main mixture.

Now set it aside and let it cool for at least 10 minutes. It may form a crust on top as it cools, so just whisk it back in.

It is time to start building our 7-layer bars!

Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and set aside.

You can alternately use a 9-inch baking pan, but I found that using the 8-inch baking pan gives them a heartier bite with a little more thickness!

You can easily double the recipe and make in a 9 x 13-inch pan if you wish.

If you do not have parchment paper handy, you can alternately grease it well with some cooking spray.

I do highly recommend using parchment paper though so you can lift them out of the pan to cut individual bars.

Wether a metal baking dish or a glass baking dish, it does not make a difference.

In a food processor or coffee grinder you will need to process the keto graham cereal until you have reached a fine crumb.

If you do not have a grinder or processor, you can also put all of them in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin.

See below in my tips, substitutions and frequently asked questions section for the alternate crust recipe that does not use the pre-made cereal.

Put them into a large bowl and add in the remaining ingredients of melted vegan ghee or melted butter plus the almond flour.

I mixed with a fork to prevent it from clumping too much. Press this base mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Now you will pour the keto sweetened condensed milk onto the graham cracker like cookie crust we made earlier.

Using a spatula, spread it out to the edges of the pan trying to keep it as even as possible.

Now the fun part of layering starts!

The best way to get in all of the layers of this keto dessert so that they stay together after baking, is to end in coconut.

This is how I put together my version of the magic cookie bars recipe!

Take 1 cup of chopped pecans and sprinkle all over the sweetened condensed milk layer.

Next will be the sugar free dark chocolate chips.

You can of course substitute milk chocolate chips or get wild and use half white chocolate chips.

The seventh layer will be the shredded coconut.

This ingredient being on the top will help us gauge if the bars need to bake longer or if they are done when they become golden brown.

Spread the coconut as evenly as possible by using your hand to spread it out gently not pressing down.

Now you will bake the seven layer magic bars for 25-30 minutes. I check a few times towards the end of baking to make sure the coconut is not burning.

If for some reason the coconut is burning at the tips instead of being golden brown, cover it loosely with a sheet of foil until the baking time is up.

Once the baking time is up you MUST wait for the seven layer cookie bars to cool completely on a wire rack.

You cannot cut them until they have cooled ALL THE WAY!

It may seem a little dramatic to say this in caps, but it is the secret ingredient to the bars not falling apart into pieces when you cut them.

The keto sweetened condensed milk made from my homemade sugar free condensed milk recipe needs time to solidify everything back together.

I put my bars in the freezer after they sat at room temperature for an hour.

This helped to harden them up so I could lift them out of the pan.

Then I put them in a large ziplock bag and stored in the fridge overnight.

The next day I pulled out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature again before cutting.

Tips, Substitutions and FAQs

• Try different baking chips in place of the usual chocolate chips like peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips!

• Add in some extras when you are adding the nuts layer like some toffee chips, or caramel bits!

• Having trouble finding keto graham crackers? Try using keto cookie crumbs in place of the keto cereal crumbs.

• Throw in some extras like keto peanut butter cups or keto mini marshmallows too! Just make sure they are all tucked in under the coconut layer when you add them.

• If you want to keep this seven layer bars recipe like the traditional recipe, try some gluten-free graham crackers instead of the keto cereal and almond flour.

• These bars do very well at bake sales!

• If you want to use Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk like from the original version of these bars it will still work.

• Make these into keto magic cookies when you portion the layers into a muffin tin with liners.

• If you want to skip using the Catalina Graham Cereal in the bottom layer, use this recipe instead.

1 1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup melted ghee, vegan butter, regular butter or coconut oil

1/4 tsp stevia

2 tablespoons water

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Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 square
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	155
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15.6g	20%
Saturated Fat 12.8g	64%
Cholesterol 14mg	5%
Sodium 5mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 6.1g	2%
Dietary Fiber 3.4g	12%
Total Sugars 0.8g
Protein 1.2g
Vitamin D 1mcg	6%
Calcium 3mg	0%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 21mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition Disclaimer: The nutritional break downs listed are with the ingredient brands I used. The actual nutritional information may vary with different brands you choose to use in this recipe. 

I used a commercial nutrition calculator to figure out the amounts listed in the nutritional facts section. 

Please check with your own medical provider for medical advice concerning the use of sugar free sweetener alternatives.

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-Can I substitute the nuts for something else?

Yes, you can substitute something else if you wish. Just keep with the same texture and amount when you substitute. This will ensure the recipe works out. You can try dried fruit, pumpkin seeds or crumbled cookies and still end up with a decadent dessert.

-Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour in the crust recipe?

You can experiment with using coconut flour, but remember you have to add in additional wetness from butter or water for it to hold together. Maybe try making the recipe with all keto cereal crumbs for the almond flour. Nut flours are interchangeable so if it is just almond you have a problem with, maybe try pecan or walnut.

-Are there any other sweeteners I can use in the condensed milk instead of the monkfruit?

Yes there are. Check out my post on The Best Keto Sweeteners for Baking to see which ones you may want to use instead. I enjoy allulose as it does not have an aftertaste and is made from natural souces versus using artificial sweeteners.

-Is there something else I could use in this recipe for low carb magic cookie bars instead of the homemade sweetened condensed milk?

Yes, you can actually use a keto caramel sauce instead of the sweetened condensed milk. You can either purchase this or make my recipe for Keto Caramel Sauce.

These chewy bars also ship well too! It is one of the delicious desserts anyone would be thrilled to receive as a gift this time of year!

Store any leftover seven layer magic cookie bars in an airtight container or if in a glass container just cover with plastic wrap.

You can freeze them up to 1 month without compromising the flavor. Beyond that they may start to fall apart.

Don’t forget to PIN the printable recipe card with full instructions to your Pinterest board or print out the complete recipe card.

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Check out these other low carb recipes using coconut!

Gluten Free Coconut Crunch Donuts

Keto Coconut Cream Pie + Freezing Directions

Samoas Brownies

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