Description
Cherry Coconut Magic Bars bring sweet summer memories straight to your dessert plate. Layers of graham cracker crust, creamy condensed milk, tart cherries, and toasted coconut create a simple treat that feels like a delightful family gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 (14 ounces / 396 grams) can sweetened condensed milk
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Finishing Ingredients:
- ¾ cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry
- Optional: extra shredded coconut for topping
- Optional: melted chocolate for drizzling
- Optional: white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Warm your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring complete coverage for easy removal.
- Combine 2 cups graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter in a medium bowl. Mix until the texture resembles damp sand.
- Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan, creating a compact base layer.
- Carefully pour the entire 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust, distributing it as evenly as possible.
- Scatter 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips across the condensed milk layer, covering the surface uniformly.
- Sprinkle 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut over the chocolate chips, ensuring a consistent distribution.
- Gently distribute ¾ cup chopped maraschino cherries across the coconut layer, spreading them with a gentle touch.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, watching for golden edges and a set center.
- Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely at room temperature for approximately 1 hour.
- Refrigerate the pan for 1-2 hours to help the bars firm up and make cutting easier.
- Using a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts, slice into square pieces approximately 2 inches in size.
- Optional: Drizzle melted chocolate or sprinkle additional coconut over the bars for extra decoration before serving.
Notes
- Drain maraschino cherries thoroughly to prevent excess moisture from making the bars soggy.
- Press the graham cracker crust firmly and evenly to create a solid base that holds together when cutting.
- Refrigerating the bars overnight helps them set perfectly and makes slicing much cleaner and easier.
- For a gluten-free version, swap graham cracker crumbs with almond flour or gluten-free cookie crumbs.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Dessert Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 252
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 88 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 21 mg