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    Home » Recipes » Dessert » Bar Cookies

    Tropical Magic Bar Cookies

    Published by Melissa on November 1, 2012 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 31 Comments

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    Tropical Magic Bar Cookies

    An easy to put together bar cookie with a tropical twist. A graham cracker crumb crust topped with layers of white chocolate chips, Coconut M&M’s, macadamia nuts, shredded coconut, and a sweet gooey lime filling.

    Magic Cookie Bars, 7 Layer Bars, Hello Dolly Bars what ever you like to call them, are a very popular bar cookie. You can even find the recipe on the back of sweetened condensed milk cans and boxes of graham cracker crumbs. I decided to change up this sinfully rich, ooey, gooey treat and give it a tropical flare with a little lime zest, macadamia nuts and Coconut M&Ms.

    Tropical-Magic-Bars-Collage

    I added the zest of two limes to the sweetened condensed milk and the lime flavor is a perfect match for the chocolate, nuts and coconut. I made the bars with coconut oil, but the crust didn’t set up as firmly as if I’d used butter, so I put butter in the recipe below. If you love citrus desserts and magic bars, you’re going to love this version.

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    Tropical Magic Bar Cookies

    Cook Time25 mins
    Additional Time30 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course: Bar Cookies
    Servings: 16 bar cookies
    Author: Barbara Schieving
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • ½ cup butter melted
    • 1 can 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
    • finely grated lime zest from two limes
    • 1 cup diced macadamia nuts
    • ⅔ cup white chocolate chips
    • ⅔ cup Coconut M&M’s
    • 1 ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350º.
    • In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add butter and toss until combined. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan coated with cooking spray.
    • Bake until firm, approximately 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for approximately 20 minutes.
    • In a small bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and lime zest. Set aside.
    • When crust is cooled, top with macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and M&Ms. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely. Sprinkle coconut evenly on top of condensed milk.
    • Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely before cutting.

    Today’s post is week 6 of my 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Brenda, Meal Planning Magic. Be sure and check out all of the fabulous treats the other 12 weeks of Christmas Treats bakers baked up for this week.

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    about us

    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc

      November 03, 2012 at 9:39 am

      this one is a keeper!!

      Reply
    2. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious

      November 02, 2012 at 11:13 pm

      Oh my these look absolutely sinful! And so dangerous to have around the house!

      Reply
    3. Lisa

      November 02, 2012 at 9:14 pm

      This is the best twist I’ve seen on a classic cookie bar. This is why I am dying for your cookbook…so I can just order it and open it up in my kitchen when baking or cooking so many of your beautiful and creative treats!

      Reply
    4. Rachel Cooks

      November 02, 2012 at 7:14 am

      These look fantastic! A little taste of the tropics for a cold day 🙂

      Reply
    5. Amy

      November 02, 2012 at 12:53 am

      What a gorgeous cookie! I love the tropical twist with them. 🙂

      Reply
    6. kristy

      November 01, 2012 at 8:12 pm

      Such fun magic bars! Bet the kids would love it…guess you need more for the Halloween giveaway. :o)
      have a lovely weekend.
      Kristy

      Reply
    7. My Inner Chick

      November 01, 2012 at 6:06 pm

      I Looooooooov-

      …in my mouth!

      Reply
    8. Aimee@clevermuffin

      November 01, 2012 at 4:21 pm

      Coconut m&m’s??Coconut m&m’s?!? Oh man – we can’t get those in Australia. I come to these lovely American blogs and am astounded at the range of things you can get that we can’t! But, never fear, I think it’ll work with normal m&m’s too 🙂

      Reply
    9. Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen

      November 01, 2012 at 3:28 pm

      Just mentioning macadamia nuts makes me crave the ones we got from Costco a while back. A little spendy, but one of the best things I’ve ever had! The bars look fabulous!

      Reply
    10. Valérie (Franche-Comté)

      November 01, 2012 at 2:03 pm

      C’est le genre de gourmandises que je commence à aimer
      Bonne soirée
      Valérie.

      Reply
    11. Angie@Angie's Recipes

      November 01, 2012 at 1:19 pm

      They look irresistible!

      Reply
    12. Dawn@simplegourmetcooking

      November 01, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      A little bit of everything-sounds like my perfect kind of cookie 🙂

      Reply
    13. Ala

      November 01, 2012 at 12:35 pm

      Lime–what an awesome twist! We’re all huge fans of magic cookie bars over here, and this tropical twist (in the middle of autumn!) is absolutely perfect. Thank you for sharing, Barbara!

      Reply
    14. Donna

      November 01, 2012 at 12:23 pm

      Seven layer bars are a weakness of mine. So. These are a Must Try.

      Reply
    15. Lychapin@TinySkillet

      November 01, 2012 at 11:30 am

      These do look sinful! How did you use the coconut oil?

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        November 01, 2012 at 11:31 am

        Thanks! I melted it. Do you think it would have worked without melting?

        Reply
    16. Averie @ Averie Cooks

      November 01, 2012 at 10:15 am

      I love Magic Bars and I love coconut oil. FUN twist!

      Reply
    17. Lana @ Never Enough Thyme

      November 01, 2012 at 9:19 am

      Love the tropical flavors! Great update to a well-loved recipe.

      Reply
    18. Matt mmWine Horbund

      November 01, 2012 at 8:08 am

      Ok, these look fun and delicious!

      Reply
    19. Blog is the New Black

      November 01, 2012 at 6:58 am

      Love your spin on the cookie bar!

      Reply
    20. Rosa

      November 01, 2012 at 6:42 am

      A wonderful treat! Definitely very tempting.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
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