Salted Caramel Magic Bars

I have a thing for Magic Bars or Seven Layer Bars as they’re sometimes called.

These aren’t technically seven layer bars because I fell short after six layers but you could easily add nuts or chopped candy bars for that seventh layer.

I made the bars with Werther’s Original Soft Caramels in honor of National Caramel Day which is April 5. The caramels are soft, rich, and creamy and I melted them and added salt because salted caramel is my thing. Salted caramel helps balance the sweetness of the other ingredients.

In honor of National Caramel Day, Werther’s Original will distribute 1 million pieces of rich, creamy caramel. Candy lovers in the New York City area will have the chance to see Werther’s giant 6-foot-diameter candy bowl near Times Square. Caramel lovers nationwide can also get in on the experience by guessing the number of candies in the Times Square giant bowl and sharing on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #ShareYourWerthers for a chance to win exclusive giveaways.

A buttery graham cracker crust is topped with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, salted caramel sauce, and sweetened condensed milk.

It’s a fast, easy, no-mixer recipe that’s as easy as layering ingredients in a pan.

The graham cracker crust is slightly crunchy, the coconut adds chewiness, and the chocolate and butterscotch chips give you something to sink your teeth into.

As the bars bake the sweetened condensed milk takes on caramel undertones and boosts the flavor of the salted caramel sauce even more.

Salted Caramel Magic Bars

Yield: one 8x8 pan, 9 to 12 generous squares

Total Time:2+ hours, for cooling

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time:about 22 to 25 minutes

I have a thing for Magic Bars or Seven Layer Bars as they’re sometimes called. The salted caramel helps balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. A buttery graham cracker crust is topped with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, salted caramel sauce, and sweetened condensed milk. It’s a fast, easy, no-mixer recipe that’s as easy as layering ingredients in a pan. The graham cracker crust is slightly crunchy, the coconut adds chewiness, and the chocolate and butterscotch chips give you something to sink your teeth into. As the bars bake the sweetened condensed milk takes on caramel undertones and boosts the flavor of the salted caramel sauce.

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted (I use unsalted, but salted tames some of the sweetness)
• scant 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
• 10 Werther’s Original Soft Caramels, unwrapped
• 1 tablespoon half-and-half or cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes, measured loosely and not packed
• about two-thirds of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (eyeball it)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2. To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
3. Add the graham crackers crumbs and toss lightly with a fork to coat crumbs evenly.
4. Turn mixture out into prepared pan, forming an even, smooth, flat crust layer by tapping crumbs into place with a spatula or your fingertips. The amount of crust is skimpy and barely covers the pan, but it’s okay.
5. Evenly sprinkle with the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips; set aside.
6. To a small saucepan, add the caramels, half-and-half, and heat over low heat to melt, whisking constantly until melted.
7. Add the salt, stir to combine, and taste sauce. Depending on preference for saltiness, add more salt to taste. It’s okay if the sauce reads on the salty side because many of the other ingredients in the recipe are very sweet and it balances out.
8. Evenly drizzle the salted caramel over the chocolate and butterscotch chips.
9. Evenly sprinkle the coconut.
10. Evenly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the coconut.
11. Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around edges and the center is mostly set. Keep an extremely close eye on bars in the final minutes of baking because coconut can go from raw-looking to burnt in one minute. I’ve baked the bars in different ovens and have baked for as long as 27 minutes and as short as 20 minutes; watch your bars and not the clock.
12. Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool in pan for at least 2 hours, or overnight, before slicing and serving. Bars firm up as they cool. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Adapted from Seven Layer Bars

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

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