Hello Dolly Bars that don't crumble and fall apart? Yes, please! These hello dollies are just as decadent, gooey, and chewy as you remember, with layers of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, pecans, and condensed milk. But with a thicker, sturdier crust and an assembly trick that holds them together and turns the coconut golden brown and crispy.
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🪄What Makes This Recipe Different
- A crust that actually holds together. The original Hello Dolly bar recipe on the Eagle Brand can called for sprinkling melted butter over graham cracker crumbs, creating a loose, sandy layer that crumbled and left most of it in the pan. This version uses a little sugar to bind the buttery graham cracker crust as it bakes so you can pick them up.
- A press-and-smoosh technique. Instead of just pouring toppings on and hoping everything sticks together, I pour the sweetened condensed milk over the crust, then gently press the layers down to hold the layers together. And by not just pouring the milk on top of everything, the coconut gets crispy and golden brown.
- The result: hello dolly bars that slice cleanly, hold their shape, and don't leave a pile of crumbs behind in the pan.
👩🍳Readers Agree: This Recipe Works!
Don't just take my word for it. Readers who grew up making the version that falls apart love these tweaks, too.
- "I dreaded making them because it was a mess to get out of the pan... I am so excited that someone came up with a remedy to fix these awesome bars!" - Becky
- "You have addressed (and solved!) my issues... My bars are now perfection!" - Elle
We always called these Hello Dollies. It wasn't until I was a teenager, when a friend described her mom's killer seven-layer bars, that I knew they were the same thing. Then it took me until full-grown adulthood to hear about magic cookie bars. But whatever you call them, I think we can all agree they are incredibly delicious, simple to make, and easy to customize to your liking.
If you're a lover of magic bars like I am, try my Nutter Butter Bars, 7-Layer Pumpkin Bars, Coconut Dream Bars, and 7-Layer Carrot Cake Bars next.
🍫Ingredients
- Graham crackers. You can use graham cracker sheets or pre-crushed graham crackers.
- Butter. Butter is one of the binding agents holding the graham cracker crust together.
- Sugar. Sugar is the second binding agent in the crust. The graham cracker crust in classic hello dolly bars is really crumbly. The sugar melts as it bakes and helps hold the crust together.
- Sweetened condensed milk. I prefer to use Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk when I make Hello Dolly bars. I find it has a thicker consistency than store brands I've tried.
- Peanut butter chips. Most recipes use butterscotch chips, but I'm not a fan, so I use peanut butter chips. Use what you love :).
- Dark chocolate chips. Any kind of chocolate chip will do, but I chose dark chocolate chips to balance all the sweetness.
- Coconut. I prefer Baker's Angel Flake sweetened coconut because it's moist and tender, whereas store brand coconut flakes can be a bit dry.
- Pecans. Any kind of nut will be delicious, but I think pecans + chocolate + coconut = heaven.
🍪Hello Dolly Bar Recipe Variations
Recipes for seven layer bars have a million variations. Here are some fun ideas to try!
- Crust. Use any flavor of graham crackers or any cookie you like, such as gingersnaps, chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, Oreos, butter crackers…
- Chocolate chips. Add white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips … go with your heart on this one.
- Nuts. Use walnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, cashews - or leave the nuts out completely!
- Mix-ins. Add more mix-ins like M&Ms, toffee chips, pretzel pieces, Andes bits, or dried fruit.
- Toppings. Add a drizzle of Nutella, caramel sauce, peanut butter, or chocolate ganache over the top. No one's looking, do what you want here.
🪄Reader-tested crust swaps: Jane uses cornflake crumbs, a tip she got from her boss's wife in the '70s. And Barbara uses Honey Nut Cheerios! She also recommends hiding half the pan before the whole thing disappears!
🥣How to Make Hello Dolly Bars: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Grind graham cracker sheets into fine crumbs in a food processor or with a rolling pin and zip top bag.
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together in the food processor or in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Using your hands or a glass, firmly press the buttery graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan lined with aluminum foil coated with nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper.
Step 3: Pour the entire can of sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust.
Step 4: Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the graham cracker crust in this order: peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, more chocolate chips.
Step 5: Gently press down on the top layer with your hand or a spatula so the sweetened condensed milk can adhere everything together.
Step 6: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until coconut is dark brown on the edges and light golden brown in the center. Cool on a wire rack. To serve, lift the foil or parchment paper out of the pan and cut into small squares, diamonds, or triangles. If desired, sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
💡Expert Tips
- Adding sugar to the graham cracker crust holds it together and keeps it from being too crumbly.
- Use a glass or metal measuring cup to press the crust into the bottom of the pan.
- Line your pan with foil or parchment paper to make removing the bars from a pan a snap.
- Gently press the layers down into the sweetened condensed milk to hold everything together.
❓Recipe FAQs
The origin of the name Hello Dolly bars is a bit of a mystery. They used to be called Graham Chip Squares and Chocolate Graham Squares. Then in 1965, a year after the Broadway musical Hello! Dolly opened, recipes called Hello Dolly cookies and Hello Dolly cake were published featuring layers of graham crackers, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk.
There seems to be no other tie between the recipes and the musical other than the timing - and, if I may add, they are both 2 of my all-time favorite things.
No. You can store hello dolly bars in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. If you like them cold, you can certainly store them in the refrigerator for about a week.
Yes, absolutely! To freeze hello dolly cookie bars, place them in an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper between the layers. Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
A crumbly graham cracker crust may be due to not enough butter or sugar. The original Eagle Brand hello dolly cookie bar recipe is super delicious, but the graham cracker crust is very crumbly. This graham cracker recipe has ¼ cup of sugar in it, which melts as it bakes and holds the crust together.
Yes. These delicious cookie bars go by many different names, including hello dollies, hello dolly bars, dolly bars, seven layer bars, magic bars, and magic cookie bars. Whew!
😋More Delicious Dessert Bars
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📖 Recipe
Hello Dolly Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- 18 sheets graham crackers (or 3 cups of pre-crushed graham crackers)
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ sticks melted butter
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips (divided)
- 1 ½ cups sweetened coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil coated with non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper.
- Grind up 18 graham cracker sheets in a food processor or blender. You can also crush them in a zip top bag with a rolling pin. If you are using pre-crushed graham crackers, you will need 3 cups.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together in the food processor or blender or in a bowl.
- Using your hands or a glass, firmly press the buttery graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the graham cracker crust in this order:Peanut butter chips, 1 cup chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, ½ cup chocolate chips
- Gently press down on the top layer with your hand or a spatula so the sweetened condensed milk can adhere everything together.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the coconut is dark brown on the edges and light golden brown in the center.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool completely before cutting.
- To serve, lift the foil or parchment paper out of the pan and cut into squares, diamonds, or triangles. If desired, sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Video
Notes
- Adding sugar to the graham cracker crust keeps it from being too crumbly -- don't skip it.
- Use a glass or metal measuring cup to press the crust into the pan.
- Line your pan with foil or parchment paper to make removing the bars from a pan a snap.
Jane says
My boss’s wife made these back in the 70’s. She apologized because she didn’t have graham cracker crumbs, so she used corn flake crumbs. I’ve made these dozens of times over the years and I ALWAYS use corn flake crumbs.
Cara Lanz says
Yum! Thank you for sharing this fun substitution :). Cara
Barbara A Mcnichols says
Well, I thought it was only me ...I forgot the graham crackers and we were in the middle of a no school day blizzard. Honey Nut Cheerios to the rescue! Just don't pulse the into powder, please. As long as you get the right measurement of 3 cups I think you'll get a good result.i remember hiding half the pa before the whole batch disappeared! Now, remembering that day, I'm wondering how Grape Nuts or Meusli might work!
Cara Lanz says
Yum! Love the idea of a Honey Nut Cheerio crust! Let me know if you try any other kind of cereal 🙂
Wendy says
Love the corn flakes idea!
Becky says
I’ve been making cookie bars (we call them 7 layer cookies) for decades and my family loves them but for me i dreaded making them because it was a mess to get out of the pan and leaving behind a lot of graham cracker crumbs. I am so excited that someone came up with a remedy to fix these awesome bars! I prepared them the way you suggested and I am happy they turned out the way they should have been all along. Thank you Cara!
Cara Lanz says
Oh, Becky, I feel so seen right now, lol. I agree, they really should have been this way all along and am so happy that you appreciated this less-messy version. Thanks for the nice note! Cara
Lisa says
Can this be made without the coconut?
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Lisa, sure, just replace it with more chips, nuts, and/or something else like pretzels, M&Ms, dried fruit, etc. Enjoy! Cara
Elle says
Thank you for your great tips! You have addressed (and solved!) my issues: adding sugar so the crust isn’t too crumbly, and pressing down on everything to help hold the layers together. My bars are now perfection!
Cara Lanz says
Oh, yay! I'm so glad someone else thought those things needed changing, too. I love that your bars are perfection, thank you so much for sharing! Cara
Joy Howell says
Thank you for posting what sounds like a delicious recipe. I am not familiar with Grahams Crackers so I would have to use a substitute. How many grams or what is the weight of the crackers packet you use? We don't have peanut butter chips so I would substitute them with white chocolate. Look forward to your answer, have a great day. Joy from New Zealand
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Joy from New Zealand! Welcome to my Minnesota blog :). Thank you so much for your questions! In researching substitutes for graham crackers, it looks like others in New Zealand have used digestive biscuits, if that helps. And the weight of 18 graham crackers comes to right around 270 grams. I hope you'll stay in touch and let me know what you used for a substitution and how these bars turned out for you. Thank you again, Cara