Chocolate, coconut, walnuts, and crushed graham crackers make these Vegan Magic Cookie Bars a family favorite. Make your own dairy-free sweetened condensed “milk” by simmering coconut milk on the stove top!
My family makes these vegan magic bars every year during our big holiday-baking party. If you prefer a non-vegan version, then use my non-vegan Magic Cookie Bars recipe.
I’m pretty sure that the recipe came from the wrapper of a sweetened condensed milk can, but over the years we’ve made it our own by eliminating butterscotch chips (seriously, ew) and generally adding just way more chocolate and nuts than need to be in a cookie bar.
Every so often throughout the year I get an insatiable craving for these vegan cookie bars and absolutely have to whip up a batch for myself my friends. This can be… problematic. Magic bars are SO good, but they are also SO guilt-inducing.
I wanted to find a way to make these delectable treats a bit more guilt-free, and I finally found a way to do so!
As one of my trusted brand partners, Silk keeps me up to date on all of their fun happenings and promotions.
I was inspired to find a way to make my favorite magic cookie bar recipe (made with BUTTER, condensed MILK, and MILK chocolate!) dairy-free.
Challenge accepted!
The first decision I made was to swap out butter for coconut oil. Both become more solid at cooler temperatures, so I knew it would work just fine as a replacement. Plus, COCONUT. My great love.
Replacing regular milk chocolate chips with dairy-free chocolate chips was a no-brainer. You don’t even need to buy special “vegan” ones, just check the ingredient list at the store (or do some googling ahead of time). The real issue was how to make the magic cookie bars without condensed milk.
Silk to the rescue! I used Silk Coconut milk to make dairy-free sweetened condensed “milk.”
I just combined coconut milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and let it simmer until it was reduced down to the consistency of condensed milk. Stir in a bit of vanilla, and boom! Done.
There’s SO much wonderful coconut flavor in these bars – they taste like paradise!
Don’t you just love when things work out? Especially when those things mean you get to eat more vegan magic bars and not even feel bad about it? #winning.
Enjoy!
Vegan Magic Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Silk Coconut milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs - about 8-9 grahams
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup walnut pieces
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Combine the coconutmilk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Place it over medium-low heat and simmer, uncovered, until it has reduced to ¾ cup.* Stir in the vanilla extract and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the graham cracker crumbs in a 9x9 glass baking dish. Pour the melted coconut oil over the top, then use a fork to stir it together and press it firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the prepared condensed coconutmilk over the top of the crumb base. Scatter the chocolate, walnuts, and coconut evenly over the top. Press the ingredients down using the fork.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edges to help loosen it from the pan. Let it rest until it is cool enough to handle. Cut the pan into 8 rectangles.
NOTES
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
