These Nutella magic bars are an easy dessert made with a buttery graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, and rich Nutella for a gooey, indulgent twist on classic magic cookie bars.
They’re layered with classic magic bar toppings and baked until just set, creating a soft, chewy texture that slices cleanly once cooled.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Easy to make: Simple layering, no mixer, and no complicated steps.
- Customizable: Magic bars are flexible, so you can adjust the chips, nuts, or coconut to suit your tastes.
- Make-ahead friendly: They slice best once cooled, making them great for prepping in advance.
- Crowd-pleasing: Familiar flavors with a fun twist that works for holidays, potlucks, or casual treats.
Ingredients you’ll need
Graham cracker crumbs: These form the base of the bars and give them that classic magic bar crust. You’ll need crumbs from about 11–12 graham cracker sheets (or just buy a box of graham cracker crumbs).
Unsalted butter: Melted butter binds the crust and adds rich flavor. If you don’t have unsalted you can use salted butter in a pinch.
Granulated sugar: Just a small amount sweetens the crust. You can leave it out if you prefer; the crust will still hold together.
Baking chips (2 cups total): Magic bars are very flexible here. You can use any combination you like as long as you keep the total to 2 cups. I especially love butterscotch and white chocolate in this recipe; they add great depth and pair beautifully with Nutella.
Sweetened flaked coconut: Adds texture and sweetness and helps balance the gooey filling. Leave it out if you don’t like coconut.
Chopped nuts: Pecans or hazelnuts both work well, but you can leave them out if you prefer.
Nutella: Mixed into the sweetened condensed milk, Nutella gives these bars their chocolate-hazelnut flavor.
Sweetened condensed milk: This is what binds everything together and creates that classic soft, chewy magic bar texture.
How to make your bars
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar, then stir until the crumbs are evenly saturated.
- Press firmly into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.
- Layer baking chips and coconut evenly over the crust.
- Mix sweetened condensed milk and Nutella together.
- Pour evenly over the toppings in the baking dish.
- Bake until the coconut is lightly browned and the edges are bubbling a bit.
Then cool, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
• Warming the Nutella: Warming the Nutella briefly before mixing it with the sweetened condensed milk makes the mixture easier to stir and allows it to pour evenly. If the Nutella firms up too much as you stir it into the condensed milk, pop the whole mixture in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until it loosens enough to pour.
• How to tell when the bars are done: Because the Nutella thickens the topping, these bars won’t bubble dramatically. They’re done when the edges are bubbling just a little and any exposed coconut has turned golden brown.
• Cooling before slicing: Magic bars are quite gooey when warm. I like to refrigerate them for a few hours (or overnight) before slicing so they cut cleanly.
• Pan prep: You can line the pan with parchment paper to lift the bars out easily, but be sure to grease the edges well—sweetened condensed milk tends to stick.
Storage and freezing
Room temperature: Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezer: These bars freeze well for up to 2 months. Because magic bars are quite gooey, I like to place the sliced bars on a wax-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer them to an airtight container so they don’t stick together or lose their shape.
A few more recipes you might enjoy:
Easy Nutella Fudge
Nutella Tiramisu
Easy Nutella Cookie Bars
Did you make these Nutella Magic Bars? Awesome! Leave me a comment and rating below! And post a pic on Instagram. Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
Nutella magic bars are a quick, easy, and customizable dessert. These gooey, chewy bars are a crowd-pleaser perfect for holidays and potlucks.
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs from 11 to 12 sheets
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or hazelnuts
- 2/3 cup Nutella
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. (You can line the pan with parchment paper to lift the bars out easily for slicing but be sure to grease the edges of the pan well since sweetened condensed milk tends to stick.)
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together in a small bowl until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Firmly press the mixture into an even layer in the bottom of your prepared baking dish. (Using the bottom of a measuring cup is helpful to really condense the crumbs into a crust.)
- Layer the butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, coconut, and chopped pecans evenly over the graham cracker crust.
- Place the Nutella in a small microwave-safe bowl and warm for 10 to 15 seconds, until slightly loosened. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk. If the Nutella firms back up when you stir in the condensed milk, pop the bowl back in the microwave for another 15 or so seconds, just until the mixture is pourable.
- Pour the Nutella-condensed milk mixture evenly over the chips/coconut/nuts.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling just a little and any exposed coconut has turned golden brown. Cool completely, then slice into bars and serve. (It helps to refrigerate them for a few hours so they get firm before slicing.)
- Store your magic bars in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days. They’ll keep in the fridge in airtight containers for about a week.
- You can also freeze them in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Since magic bars tend to be gooey, I like to set them on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer to airtight containers so they don’t become misshapen or stick together.
- Grease your baking dish very generously because sweetened condensed milk will caramelize and stick to the edges, making the bars difficult to release.
- You can substitute any baking chips you like for the butterscotch and white chocolate chips as long as you stick with 2 cups total. Use all chocolate chips, all butterscotch, half milk chocolate and half white, whatever you prefer. I used butterscotch and white chocolate because I like that combo with Nutella but magic bars are flexible so use what you like or what you have on hand.
- Leave out the coconut and/or nuts if you don’t like them.
- Feel free to substitute walnuts for the pecans/hazelnuts.
sherry says
this sounds absolutely delicious Kelsie. We don’t have graham cracker crumbs but i’m sure other sorts of biscuits would suffice – like digestives, or a plain aussie biscuit :=)
happy new year to you
cheers
sherry