I once proclaimed myself a great innovator of the Seven Layer Bar. I took pride in my crazy concoctions. They contained all sorts of delicious combinations of Reese’s cups and Oreos and and marshmallow’s and m&m’s, layers upon layers, held together by the four things, that as a general consensus, make a Seven Layer Bar, a Seven Layer Bar: graham cracker crust, coconut, chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk. There are so many variations of Seven Layer Bars out there, waiting to be created, and I set out to try them all.
But recently, I stopped dead in my tracks on my quest to Seven Layer Bar glory. I came to the very sudden and unexpected realization that there really is no other specimen quite like a Classic Seven Layer Bar. I love a good Seven Layer S’mores Bar or a Reese’s Cup filled Peanut Butter Seven Layer Bars, don’t get me wrong. They’re wild and exciting and they get the people going. But the classic seven layers of graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut flakes, and pecans…I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the bar of them all.
These bars are super easy to make, and there’s hardy any mixing involved. You only need one bowl to combine the graham cracker crumbs and the butter. From there, it’s all about the layering. Honestly, I just put measurements on here for those of you who like to follow baking recipes because of the exact amounts that you know you can follow precisely to get good results. But, over the years, I’ve learned that the limit does not exist when it comes to the amount of chips in each of the layers of a Seven Layer Bar. Be generous. Get a little crazy here. Go HAM. You really can’t do anything wrong when it comes to this classic.
Classic Seven Layer Bars
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 7-8 graham crackers
- 1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
Instructions
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Instructions:
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Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 13"x9" pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Melt the butter in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl, or melt in a saucepan on medium heat. Mix the butter with the graham cracker crumbs, and spread the butter-crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Pat the mixture down with the back of the spoon to form an even layer.
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In any order you want, top the graham cracker layer with both kinds of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and pecans (save a few for the top if you want!). Then, drizzle the entire can of sweetened condensed milk over the chips. Top with the shredded coconut.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the coconut looks a little toasted. Let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!