Last week I posted about cooking with kids. There was quite a bit of interest in the subject, so I am going to start a series about cooking with kids. I hope to post weekly, on Wednesday, on the subject. I hope those of you with kids can get some tips and ideas. And for those of you without kids or kids that are grown up, I hope you still enjoy the recipes.
I will start by saying that today’s recipe is not healthy. It is actually quite unhealthy, but it is so good and so easy to make. My kids made it for me for my birthday last month. Well, actually it was a week late because they were all sick on my birthday. But it was for my birthday.
This recipe or versions of this recipe have been around for a while. I am sure many of you have seen it or made it before. But I wanted to remind you of it and let you know how great of a recipe it is for kids to make on their own. In fact my sisters made this all the time when they were learning how to cook. So my family has been making them for years. My kids thought this was so fun to make. They all worked on it together scattering the ingredients around. This is one of those recipes that is pretty hard to mess up.
They are Magic Cookie Bars or Seven Layer Bars. I think the original recipe came from Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, but I could be wrong. You can change up the recipe by using different chips such as white chocolate or dark chocolate. Just use the basic recipe and change it to your tastes.
There are several different ways to make these. I have tried several. I think it works best to pour the sweetened condensed milk over the crust then layer the ingredients. This makes for a prettier bar that is easier to cut.
This recipe is so simple kids can do it from start to finish. My kids are 6, 8, and 11 and they made them just fine.
Magic Cookie Bars
Seven layer bars also known as magic cookie bars make a great cooking with kids recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs ( use gluten free graham crackers for gluten free version )
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
- 1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13X9-inch baking pan.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.
- Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store leftovers covered at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 194Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 93mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
Looks good and easy enough that I could do it (I’m not a very good cook!) I’ll have to try it with the kids sometime. Thanks for the idea!
My kids & I have made these before as well. They are delicious.
How nice of your kids to make them for your birthday.
I am old enough to remember when this recipe originated. It was around 1958. It was the very first thing I ever cooked and they are so good. I love the kid’s cooking idea. I made Muddy Buddy from the back of the Chex’s box this week and the kids loved it.
Roberta Anne
Wow, that sounds so good! Thanks for your comment on my blog the other week. I was wondering if that “Lynn” was you. I have some your recipes bookmarked. They all look so yummy!!
I tried muddy buddies recently with the kids and they are great. I plan on posting soon about those too. Sometimes the recipes that have been around a long time are the best.
These look wonderful! I am being more intentional with getting my kids in the kitchen. They love to cook with me. They will do anything in the kitchen, really! My 5 year old to me yesterday that he wished he could help me wash dishes. Thanks for the recipe!
My WFMW post: Meal Planning
This recipe is Magic Cookie Bars from Eagle Brand for sure. I made them as a kid and still love making them today…Love your blog !
Yum! I would love to have some right now! I’d love to have you over on Tasty Tuesday with one of your great recipes! Thanks for sharing!
-Kim
I love these, I use corn flake crumbs for a gluten free version.