Hello Dolly Bars are a classic sweet that’s bursting with layers of flavor. A buttery and crisp graham cracker crust is topped with milk and white chocolate chips, walnuts, and shredded coconut, then finished with creamy, sweet condensed milk.
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Pin RecipeThe perfect handheld sweet snack, Hello Dolly bars are a riff on a traditional 7-layer bar. Bars are such a great treat option because they don’t take long to make and you can play around with some of the ingredients, depending on what you have in the pantry or your preference.
Hello Dolly bars are that irresistible combination of chocolate, coconut, and nuts. There’s a good reason candy bars have long been made with this flavor combo! These bars take it a little further by adding a cookie crust and silky condensed milk to hold them together.
Easy Hello Dolly Bars Recipe
Hello Dolly bars may have a funny name, but don’t worry about that. The layers of sweet coconut, crunchy walnuts, and creamy chocolate chips balanced on a buttery graham cracker crust more than make up for it. Plus, you need just 15 minutes to put together this classic recipe.
You may also know Hello Dolly bars by various names, which can include magic cookie bars, Hello Dollies, Dolly Parton bars, Hello Dolly cookies, or, more commonly, 7-layer bars. The origin of this treat’s name is a bit of a mystery but what really matters is that they are delicious.
This Hello Dolly bars recipe differs slightly from 7-Layer Bars because it includes walnuts instead of pecans, and white chocolate chips instead of butterscotch. You can also try out some of my variation ideas below. I love packing up bars to tuck into lunchboxes or just having a plate on the counter for the after-school rush, along with other favorites like Sweet & Salty Snack Mix and No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites. They are sure to satisfy hungry snackers of all ages!
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Ingredients for Hello Dolly Bars
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Graham crackers – You can use your favorite brand of graham crackers.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Salt – I like kosher salt.
- Chocolate chips – You’ll use both milk chocolate and white chocolate chips.
- Walnuts
- Coconut – Sweetened, shredded coconut is best!
- Condensed milk – Use sweetened condensed milk.
Variations
I love to make this recipe as written, but you can experiment with a few swaps if you like. Substitute a different type of nuts, like pecans, for the walnuts, or add butterscotch or semisweet chocolate chips for the white chocolate chips. Or, try a different cookie, like Nilla wafers, to make the crust. If you feel like lightening up on the sweetness, you can use unsweetened shredded coconut.
How to Make Hello Dolly Bars
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper, letting it come up the sides of the pan to help remove the bars later. Set aside.
- Make the graham cracker crust: In a mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and salt. Pour into the baking dish, then spread evenly and press into the bottom to form a crust.
- Layer: Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, then the walnuts, followed by the shredded coconut. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the coconut has turned a golden brown color. Remove from the oven, then let rest for at least an hour before removing from the pan. Cut into 24 evenly-sized bars to serve.
Quick Tip
For perfectly cut cookie bars, make sure to let the bars rest and fully cool before cutting into them. This should take at least 1 hour. It’s hard to wait, but it will be worth it to have neat and tidy edges on your bars!
How to Store Hello Dolly Bars
Store leftover Hello Dolly bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also wrap individual bars in plastic and store them in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving or eat cold.
FAQs
The name for these bars may have been inspired by the Broadway show Hello Dolly! Or it may have come from a recipe shared in The Week magazine in 1965.
7 Layer Bars get their name because there are typically seven flavors in them. For example; butter, cookie crust, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk topping.
Dolly Parton bars are also known as 7-layer bars or Hello Dolly bars. As noted, they involve delicious layers of flavor that build on one another to create a delectable treat.
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Hello Dolly Bars
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups walnuts, chopped
- 1 ½ cups sweetened, shredded coconut
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened, condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350º F. Coat a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper, letting it come up the sides of the pan to help remove the bars later. Set aside.Nonstick cooking spray
- In a mixing bowl, toss together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and salt. Pour into the baking dish, then spread evenly and press into the bottom to form a crust.2 cups graham cracker crumbs, ½ cup unsalted butter, melted, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, then the walnuts, followed by the shredded coconut. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the top.1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips, 1 ½ cups walnuts, chopped, 1 ½ cups sweetened, shredded coconut, 1 14 ounce can sweetened, condensed milk
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the coconut has turned a golden brown color. Remove from the oven, then let rest for at least an hour before removing from the pan. Cut into 24 evenly sized bars to serve.
I have made this recipe, but made Magic Cookies with it many years ago.