Makes: About 2 dozen
Time: About 30 minutes
This recipe gets its name because you can toss anything into it and it will always end up delicious, making it especially fun to make with kids. It’s usually made with sweetened coconut, but I find that cloying and use unsweetened. Anything goes here: Toast the coconut beforehand or don’t; use whichever nuts you’d like; swap some of the condensed milk for maple syrup or Boozy Caramel Sauce. Double the chocolate, use multiple kinds of chocolate, or combine it with peanut butter chips.
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13 × 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment. Fill with graham cracker crust.
2. Sprinkle the coconut over the crust, then do the same with the chocolate and nuts. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the filling. Sprinkle salt over the pan before baking.
3. Bake until the top is golden, about 25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting. These will keep in an airtight container for 5 days.
MAPLE MAGIC BARS Maple adds a subtle warm flavor: In a bowl, combine ½ cup sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup real maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the filling.
DRIED FRUIT MAGIC BARS Dried fruit makes this even chewier and a bit tart: Decrease the coconut to 1 cup and top it with 1 cup dried fruit of your choice (chopped into small pieces if necessary) before adding the chocolate and nuts.
WHISKEY CARAMEL MAGIC BARS For grown-ups: Make a batch of Caramel Sauce and stir in 2 tablespoons whiskey after you remove it from the heat. Use this instead of condensed milk.