The first time I made Magic Bars was in 9th grade cooking class many years ago (they’ve been around since about 1965 when the recipe appeared on the can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk). They were known as Hello Dolly Bars in that 9th grade class, but they are also called Seven Layer Bars, and over the years, there have been dozens of variations of the basic bars. The original bars consisted of a layer of melted butter, graham cracker crumbs topped with chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut; sweetened condensed milk was poured over them to “glue” the ingredients together, then baked. Of course everyone loves the traditional bars.

The following Easy Turtle Bars are a variation of the original. I first made them with caramel bits, but have since found that the ready-made caramel (such as Peter’s) cut into small squares is better.

24 Servings

Crust:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups flour

Filling:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups whole pecans
1 11 oz. package caramel bits

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9" x 11" shallow baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Crust: Mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour until crumbly. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
3. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the hot crust with the chocolate chips. Sprinkle the chocolate chips with the pecans. Sprinkle the pecans with the caramel bits.
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the surface. If necessary, use a spatula to spread the milk to the edges.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly before cutting into 24 squares. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 322 Calories from Fat 152
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 47% Protein 4% Carb. 49%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 17 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Cholesterol 19 mg 6%
Sodium 91 mg
Total Carbohydrate 40 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 3 g

Vitamin A 5% Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% Iron 2%