Seven Layer Bars {Lightened-Up!}

SAVE FOR LATER

I’ve been on a big dessert bar kick recently. While I love cookies, cakes, + pies, some of them require more hands-on time than I have these days, what with a silly, wiggly 7-month-old baby to look after!

When it comes time to make sweets for a group, I’ve been turning to dessert bar recipes that are both super delicious AND quick + simple to make.

So, when I had a food blogger potluck party to attend recently, I decided to make these easy Lightened-Up Seven Layer Bars.

And y’all, they turned out so wonderfully. I love how incredibly simple they are to make, + the resulting bars are amazing – sweet, sticky, buttery + chocolatey, with a fantastic burst of coconut.

And the best thing? This is a slightly lightened-up recipe, so enjoying one won’t break your New Year’s resolution to eat well.

One bar has about 120 calories and 4 grams of fat – not too shabby! Since they are both very sweet and very rich, one bar was definitely enough to satisfy my dessert craving. =)

A scrumptious dessert recipe that’s super easy to make AND helps you to stay within your dietary goals for the day?

That’s a winner in my book! I’m already planning to make these again for the Super Bowl – hope lots of you try ’em, too!

SAVE FOR LATER

Seven Layer Bars

These Lightened-Up Seven Layer Bars are incredibly simple to make and the resulting bars are amazing – sweet, sticky, buttery + chocolatey, with a fantastic burst of coconut. One bar has about 120 calories and 4 grams of fat.

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Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 25 bars

Course: Dessert

Calories: 120

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 9 cookie sheets
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup butterscotch morsels
• 2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted
• 1 14-ounce can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. (Note: don't skip this step! These bars are wonderfully sticky + the parchment makes them so much easier to get out of the pan.)
2. Place graham cracker crumbs in a medium bowl. Drizzle with butter and 1 tablespoon water; toss with a fork until moist. Gently pat mixture into an even layer in pan – do not press firmly. (Note: Because the condensed milk you'll add later will need to seep into the graham cracker crumbs, don't pack the crumbs too tightly in the bottom of the pan.)
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips and butterscotch morsels over crumb mixture. Top evenly with coconut and pecans. Drizzle condensed milk evenly over top.
4. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly around edges.
5. Cool completely on wire rack, then cut into 25 squares.

Notes

Don't skip lining the pan with parchment for easy removal. Do not press the graham cracker crumbs too firmly so the condensed milk can seep in.