Irresistible Keto Magic Cookie Bars: The Ultimate Healthy Twist on a Classic Treat!

Who doesn’t love old fashioned magic cookie bars? They’re always a crowd favorite, but they’re definitely not keto friendly…until now. This recipe lets them-as well as the guests without any dietary restrictions-enjoy the same dessert, so you don’t have to end up making two different recipes in order to please everyone. This recipe offers a healthier version of the classic treat, maintaining all the sweet, gooey flavor with a fraction of the carbs. These keto magic cookie bars are easy to make. Promise!

Why Keto Magic Cookie Bars?

When you sink your teeth into these incredible bars, you won’t believe that they are actually so much healthier than other versions. Coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts are the star of the show in these keto magic cookie bars. When you try to eat healthily, there are days when you feel like you have to give up stuff. At the end of the day you really aren’t giving up anything, but instead, you are giving yourself health instead! That’s way better than junk food, in my opinion.

These keto magic cookie bars are perfect for picnics, family gatherings, or a quick and simple dessert option. No matter when you serve them, I am confident they are going to be a HUGE hit with everyone who tastes them.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Almond Flour: Almond flour works best for this crust, for both texture and flavor. Other nut and seed flours will work but may be a bit more crumbly.
Sweetener: I usually use Swerve Confectioners for my crust but you could use another erythritol based sweetener. The crust is best made with an erythritol based sweetener, as allulose will make it too soft. Don’t use allulose, as it will not firm up properly. Keep in mind that erythritol based sweeteners, with no allulose, are the only ones that will produce a crisp crust.
Sugar-free chocolate chips: I love ChocZero dark chocolate chips in many of my recipes. Your favorite brand should work fine.
Keto butterscotch chips: If you can’t get your hands on these, use more chocolate chips or use white chocolate chips. Lily’s salted caramel chips would be delicious too! No one seems to be making the butterscotch chips anymore, so I switched to keto peanut butter chips. You can also simply do more chocolate chips.
Butter: Melted butter binds the crust and makes it taste like shortbread.
Shredded coconut: Coconut is standard in Magic Cookie Bars but if you really detest it, you can skip it or add more nuts.
Nuts: Chop some almonds and use them instead of the walnuts if you want to. Don’t you just love the flavor of pecans with chocolate? Add some in place of the walnuts for a nice surprise.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preparing the Crust

First Step: Prepare the crust by adding the flour, flax, and melted butter to the bottom of a baking dish.

Preheat oven to 325ºF.
Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving paper overhanging 2 sides of the pan for easy removal. Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper, going a little up the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Whisk together the almond flour, confectioners swerve, and salt.
Add melted butter and mix in until mixture begins to clump together. Add the butter and vanilla and use your hands to combine the ingredients to make a crumbly dough. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture begins to clump together.
Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. Press the crust mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan.
Use a fork to poke holes throughout the crust. Prick holes in the crust with a fork. This helps the topping not separate.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown around the edges. Bake at 325ºF for 10 to 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown around the edges. Par-bake for 12 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove and let cool completely. Remove and let cool at least 15 minutes to firm up. Make sure you let it cool completely before adding the toppings.

Making the Sugar-Free Condensed Milk

Second Step: Make the keto sweetened condensed milk by bringing the heavy cream, butter, and sweetener to a gentle boil.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Meanwhile, make the sugar free condensed milk.
Bring the heavy cream, 2 tablespoons butter, and sweetener to a gentle boil and cook stirring frequently until it is light golden brown and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Bring the coconut milk, butter, and Brown Swerve to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer and stir frequently for about 8 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir frequently, so it doesn’t burn.
Remove from the heat.
Either cool until room temperature before stirring in the egg yolk OR, if you are impatient like me, very slowly pour the liquid over the egg yolk while whisking like crazy. (No one wants scrambled yolk in their magic cookie bars). Place the egg yolk in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour the coconut milk mixture over the top of the egg yolk while whisking vigorously. Make sure you rinse the pan right away. Allow the sugar-free condensed milk time to cool then stir in the egg yolk.

Assembling and Baking the Bars

Third Step: Allow the sugar-free condensed milk time to cool then stir in the egg yolk. Fourth Step: Assemble the cookie bars by sprinkling coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts on top of the crust. Slowly drizzle the condensed milk over the top, then back for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Increase the oven temperature to 350ºF. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Sprinkle the cooled crust with the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut and nuts. Now it is time to assemble. Sprinkle coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts onto the crust. Sprinkle the cooled crust with the shredded coconut, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.
Pour the condensed milk evenly over top and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and beginning to brown. Drizzle condensed milk over the top. Pour the caramel sauce as evenly over the toppings as you can. Make sure you press the toppings down with the back of a rubber spatula to make sure all of the layers stick to the sauce.
Bake again. Increase the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browning around the edges.
Place back into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and golden. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. until set and golden brown. They will be golden brown and set when they are done.
Remove and let cool in pan before cutting into bars. Remove and let cool completely before cutting into bars. Cool on a baking rack to room temperature and then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. Cool on a baking rack to room temperature. Let sit 15 minutes to firm up.

Cutting and Storing

Cut into 16 equal sized pieces. Cut the cooked dough into 16 equal-sized pieces.
Store the bars in a covered container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. Store your Magic Bars in between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Yes, you can freeze this cookie bars recipe if you want to. It’s nice to make a double batch and have them ready for last-minute dessert ideas. Wrap them with plastic wrap and put them into an airtight container. On average, the magic cookie bars will last around 3 months in the freezer.

Variations and Tips

Cinnamon: Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon in the crust for a spicy and fun flavor.
Toasted Coconut: Instead of using coconut that hasn’t been toasted, try toasting some in a dry skillet. The coconut only takes a couple of minutes to toast, so keep a close eye on it.
Take your low carb magic cookie bars to new heights with some keto-friendly butterscotch chip. Then top it all off with gooey sugar-free caramel sauce. Heavenly!
The funny thing is, I actually liked them that way and felt they gave the whole recipe some texture. But I do have an alternative fix for you if you don’t want that. Similar to the advice for my Keto White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, you can hold back on the butterscotch chips, or only add some of them. Then the minute the bars come out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining chips on top. They should stay softer that way!

Nutritional Information

This keto magic cookie bar recipe has 6.5g of carbs and 3.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.1g net carbs per bar. This keto salted caramel magic cookie bar recipe has 6.8g of carbs and 3.9g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.9g net carbs per bar.

A Little Background

Magic Cookie Bars were one of my favorite childhood treats. They were so easy and a perfect dessert for a kid trying to flex her newfound baking muscles. My father called them Hello Dollies, and he adored them. And I could never say no to that buttery graham cracker crust topped with chocolate, nuts, and gooey caramelized condensed milk. When I went low carb for health concerns, I knew I had to find a way to make sugar-free condensed milk.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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