Dolly's magic bars

These bars are often called Hello Dolly bars, or seven layer bars or magic bars. I never really got the seven layers name - it makes them sound like they are way more complicated than they are. And they are really, really not complicated to make. They take about 10 minutes to get them in the oven and they really have two very simple layers: a graham crumb crust and then a gooey, caramelly chocolate and nuts layer, balanced with some flaky salt on top. 

You can put anything you want in these bars. I like to go with lots of types of chocolate, and I think the star touch is the malted chocolate balls. When you bake them, the malty insides kind of vaporize into crispy, melty magic. I’m very fond of this particular combination, but go for whatever you like - often these bars have coconut, or dried fruit. 

dolly’s magic bars

• 1 ½ cups graham crumbs 

• ½ cup butter, melted 

• 1 tin sweetened condensed milk 

• ¼ cup milk chocolate chips or chunks

• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

• ¼ cup white chocolate chips or chunks

• ¼ cup chocolate malt balls (Maltesers or Whoppers)

• ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

• 1.2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

• A very generous pinch of flaky salt (Maldon salt is great)

Line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper. Combine graham crumbs and butter until evenly mixed. Spread over the bottom of lined pan, and smooth into a uniform layer. 

Sprinkle chocolate and nuts over the graham crumbs. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the chocolate and nuts, scraping out as much from the can as possible. Sprinkle a bunch of flaky salt over top (I like to really go for it with the salt - these are very sweet and they can handle it!).
Bake at 350° F for around 30 minutes, or until the top is caramelized and bubbly. Cool bars completely before cutting (chilling them helps even more). These keep well in an airtight container in the fridge (or freezer) if you manage to keep them hanging around.

nameless (chocolate, walnut & pecan) bars

Like Holly Golightly's cat, these bars are nameless. Unlike Holly Golightly's cat, the reason for their namelessness is that their inspiration is a certain infamous pie, which is the registered trademark of some rather litigious individuals. Kern's Kitchen, who hold the trademark, like to make liberal and slightly terrifying use of the legal system to protect their pie. They have sued 25 times to protect it, with targets including cookbooks, restaurants and Bon Appetit magazine. In a fantastically Wizard-of-Oz-esque move, their production facilities include a curtained off area where the pie is mixed  by the sole employee who knows the recipe. 

So these are nameless bars. And also like Holy Golightly's cat, these should never be thrown out of a taxi in a rainstorm. 

These bars are fantastical dessert hybrids, a sugary chimera: part gooey sugar pie, part buttery shortbread, with a touch of chocolate chip cookies goodness. 

from Smitten Kitchen

crust

• 1 cup flour

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks

filling

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 6 tablespoons flour

• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

• flaky salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 8" square pan with parchment paper. 

Crust: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until the dough comes together in a solid lump. Pat dough into an even layer in the parchment lined pan. Bake until just beginning to colour, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

Filling: Mix together butter, sugars, egg, yolk, salt and vanilla. Add flour and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate and nuts. Pour over crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the top with flaky salt. 

Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is crackly and golden but still wobbles a teeny bit when jiggled. 

Photos: Tyrel Hiebert