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5 Ingredient Magic Cookies. Made with coconut, roasted cashews, sweet chocolate chips, quick-cooking oats, and a can of sweetened condensed milk. Just mix, scoop, and bake. Simple as that! These cookies take only a few minutes to prep. Then bake these up, and kind of like magic, you’ll have delicious cookies!
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I think any of you from the Midwest are likely familiar with 7-layer bars. Everyone’s mom or grandma had their own recipe. Some looked the same, and others had slight variations. Either way, they always turned out so yummy!
My mom used to make them all the time. Only she didn’t use graham crackers, which tend to be traditional. She’d use a layer of oats, but no graham crackers. We loved them. These are the cookie version, using just five ingredients.
I was so happy with how these turned out. I think they’re even more delicious than 7-layer bars. A bit chewier and saltier with lots and lots of chocolate chips!
I baked up yet another (double) batch of these just last night for my family to take with them this weekend to Aspen. Everyone is staying together in the same house, and I’m sure these will get eaten right up!
I’ve been making these on repeat!
Here are the details
Ingredients
- unsweetened fine shredded coconut – I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand
- roasted cashews – make sure these are dry roast with nothing else other than salt. You don’t want any weird oils on the nuts!
- semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- quick cooking rolled oats – this is what my mom used growing up, but I imagine regular oats probably work fine too
- sweetened condensed milk – the magic ingredient
Special Tools
You need just a mixing bowl and a cookie sheet for these cookies.
Steps
Step 1: mix the cookie dough
Do this in a mixing bowl. The order the ingredients that go in doesn’t matter. Just make sure the sweet milk evenly coats all the ingredients. It will be sticky.
Step 2: scoop and bake
Take a spoon or use a cookie scoop, and scoop out mounds of the dough. I do nine cookies per baking sheet, but this will vary depending on the size of your cookie sheet.
If any of the mounds look too loose, push them together with your hands. These do not need to be perfect or uniformly shaped, so don’t stress!
Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. I like around 12 minutes, then I let the cookies set and finish cooking on the cookie sheet. Your cookies will come out looking a little puffed, but once they settle and set, they’ll look perfect.
Step 3: time to enjoy!
I found my cookies to be absolutely delicious while warm, but they’re also yummy once cooled.
You can also add a sprinkle of flaked sea salt if you like. I’m sure that’s so delicious!
Some Tips!
These are honestly so easy, you can’t mess them up! I will say that if your dough feels too wet and sticky, you can add up to 1/2 cup of additional oats. The more oats you add, the drier the cookie, as the oats soak up the condensed milk more than the other ingredients.
And then, lastly, if you want your chocolate chips to look more like mine, add a few directly on top of each cookie just after you pull the cookies out of the oven. The chips will get melty on top! YUM!
Looking for other winter dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
Chocolate Dipped Sesame Oatmeal Bars
5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Healthy…ish Homemade Samoas Cookies
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make these 5 Ingredient Magic Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
5 Ingredient Magic Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 cups roasted cashews
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
- 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Scoop out mounds of dough (3 tablespoons or a scant 1/4 cup) onto the prepared baking sheet. Use your hands to push any loose dough back into dough mounds.3. Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden on top. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes to fully set. Enjoy warm or room temperature! Delish either way!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
These were so easy to whip up and absolutely irresistible. They are definitely easy crowd pleasers when you need to bring cookies to a party, tailgating etc. Brilliant combination of ingredients. Great job, Tieghan!
Love to hear this, Lucy! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your feedback! Have a wonderful week! xxT
So quick, easy and delicious! I replaced the cashews with pecans and cooked 13mins and they were perfect. Ive already made 4 more batches to share with my neighbors and work colleagues.
Hey Alisha,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
I made these dairy free by subbing sweetened and condensing coconut milk for the regular. Delish!
Hey Kristen,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
Cold snowy day in Michigan gave these a try oh my delicious have to confess used dry roasted unsalted peanuts didn’t have cashews next time I will use less peanuts or better yet cashews. Because I’m not so good at cookies can I make them in a pan
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Yes, you can totally make these in a pan:) xx
I had never heard of Magic Cookies before. I was very intrigued to try them. They worked out beautifully and so easy to do. I cooked for the 15 minutes then left them on the tray for 10 minutes before popping them on cooling rack. Very tasty. I’ll be making them again for sure!
Hey Kylie,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Wonderful! Are they gluten free?
Thanks Annie! Yes, they sure are! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
I made these today for the Super Bowl & they turned out perfectly! I followed your directions & they were a huge success!
Thank you!
Kathy
Hey Kathy,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
Easy, Easy, Easy! They came out great. After reading some of the reviews, I decided to take a hint from Tieghan about the dough size: a scant 1/4C. So, I used a 1/4C and a silicone spatula to make and hold the shape of the cookie. It worked beautifully. And don’t forget the chocolate chips on top right after you pull them out of the oven.
Looking forward to the cookies being part of our Super Bowl line-up today!
Hey Kym,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a hit! XxT
Perfect! Kids and mum approved!
Thanks so much, Paula:)
Made these tonight and they were so good. Dangerous bc I always have the ingredients on hand!
Lol thanks so much, Emma! So glad you enjoyed these cookies, I appreciate you making the recipe! Happy Sunday! xxT
I made these and it’s hard to be home alone with them! Used a 1/4 cup to scoop them onto tray. They freeze just fine which is good or I might have eaten every last one in a day.
So glad to hear this, Kim! Thanks for sharing:)
Nice balance of chocolate chips and coconut. I didn’t have enough cashews so I also added chopped pecans that I sautéd in a little butter. The recipe is a keeper! Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Barbara,
Amazing!! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend:) xx
Do you think I could freeze these after baking?
Hey Lisa,
I honestly don’t think these would freeze all that well. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Awesome sweet treat for the Super Bowl!!
Thanks so much, Jina!! These would be great for the Super Bowl! Happy Friday! xT
You have to make them to realize why they are magical. With the cashews and the coconut and oats, they are a (practically) guilt free breakfast or protein break. My daughter makes them and eats half the batter raw. Truly magical and so easy!
Hello! Tried these and the bottoms started burning around 9-10 minutes. The only thing I changed was sweetened coconut (it was what I had on hand!). Could that have been why?
Thank you!!!
Hi Alyssa,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! I can’t say for sure, but it could have been due to the sugar from the sweetened coconut. Could you use a higher rack in your oven next time? Let me know:) xx
Can I swap the cashews with almonds. My granddaughter is highly allergic to cashews! These look great!
Hi Kathleen,
Sure, that should work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love them! xT
So easy to make and absolutely unreal!!! The perfect amount of chocolate chips and I loved adding a touch of sea salt at the end. I am not the biggest coconut lover, so was a little worried about this recipe, but I am obsessed – please give it a try!!
Hey Caroline,
Happy Friday! Thanks for making these cookies and your comment, love to hear they turned out well for you! XxT
Caroline, thank you for your comment. I plan to make these cookies as part of our menu for the Super Bowl and wondered about people who don’t love coconut. Glad to hear it worked for you. …going to give it a try.
Do you have a recommendation for a coconut substitute by chance?
Hey Sara,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe without the coconut. Here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-lace-cookies/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/almond-butter-cookies/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/5-ingredient-chocolate-dipped-peanut-butter-cookies/
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Looking forward to making these. My daughter has a Tree Nut allergy. Can you suggest a substitute? Thank you!
Hi Kat,
Can you use peanuts? Those would work well for you! Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT