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Crinkly, wrinkly, and so delicious…these Magic Chocolate Chip Cookies are some of the best. A 7 layer bar, but in cookie form. They’re rich, decadent, heavy on the chocolate, and extra gooey! Made with browned butter, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, coconut, chocolate chips, and peanuts for a cookie that’s addictingly delicious. Every bite is slightly crisp on the edges but soft and chewy in the center. Absolutely nothing not to love about these crinkly magic cookies. Bonus? These cookies are easy to make, use simple ingredients, and take only minutes to prep. They’re so deliciously easy…they’re magical!
If there was ever a cookie to make, I think it might just be these. I know that’s a bit of a bold statement, but there’s something very special about these cookies. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out when I started testing them. But it’s safe to say I am more than excited to be telling you guys all about these easy cookies.
First off, it’s no secret that I have really been embracing more “retro” style dessert recipes. I really don’t know why, but the recipes that were made back in the day, the ones our grandmas, and even their moms, were baking up, those are the ones inspiring me most right now. Vintage cakes, old-fashioned pies, upside-down cakes, and the ever so classic 7 Layer Bars sometimes know as Magic Bars.
All are exciting me, but it was the Magic Bar that inspired these cookies.
(cookies before baking)
The Idea
Brainstorming recipes is a never-ending thing for me. When I take thirty minutes to write out all my ideas is really when I come up with my favorites. I was jotting a recipe down (ok typing recipes) when I had the idea to make a 7 Layer Bar. For as much as I love a good cookie bar, I think I love cookies just a smidge better.
So I thought about taking everything in those 7 Layer Bars and turning them into circular cookies that could ideally be those flat, crinkly cookies I love so much. I wasn’t sure the concept would work. Stirring sweetened condensed milk into a cookie sounded like it could either be, one amazing, or two totally disastrous. They really had a fifty/fifty chance of being great or a complete flop, so I took my chances…
Five plus batches of cookie dough later, I finally got to the perfect cookie. The extra effort was more than worth it.
Here are the details
The thing about magic bars? They’re EASY. Which is one part of the “magic”. Well, the same is true for a magic cookie.
Just make my favorite brown butter cookie dough, then stir in chocolate chips, the coconut, so many chocolate chunks, and salty peanuts. Then swirl in the sweetened condensed milk, now bake.
Less than an hour later you’ll have the sweetest, crinkled cookies. Simple as that.
So simple, they’re magic. But what else makes them magic…they’re chocolatey, salty, sweet, gooey, and have just the tiniest bit of CRUNCH. Basically, they’re everything you could want out of a cookie, and with pockets of chocolate too.
They’re pretty hard not to love.
Soo with that, how about some Tuesday night baking? These are easy enough to have mixed up and baked in less than an hour. And my guess is that you already have all the ingredients on hand too!
Looking for more magical cookie recipes, try these…
Soft and Crinkly Brown Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies
Salted Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Magic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 289 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate chunks or chips
- 1 cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts (or any other toasted nut)
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 stick of butter in a large mixing bowl and set aside.2. Add 1 stick of butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the butter over the stick of butter in the mixing bowl. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer. The butter should be chilled, but mostly melted. 3. To the mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and vanilla, beat until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut, and peanuts. Drizzle over the sweetened condensed milk and mix until lightly combined, you should see streaks of condensed milk. 4. Let the dough sit 5 minutes, then roll the dough into 2 tablespoon size balls and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball down into a disk using the palm of your hand.5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 2 times to flatten them down. Return to the oven and bake another 3-4 minutes or until the cookies begin to set on the edges, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten them down again. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Eat warm (highly recommend) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
I read the comments after I had all the ingredients mixed and ready to go! I decided to make a large skillet cookie! THIS IS THE WAY TO GO! This is a PERFECT skillet cookie recipe.
Change the recipe header to skillet cookie. It’s a home run.
Hey Nicola,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
Thank you for sharing your recipes had great fun making these with my son, and the family enjoyed eating them even more!
Hey Rory,
Happy Friday!!❤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
Made these hoping for a thin yummy cookie with some texture, however mine turned out a bit on the cakey side also, I followed to a t with the tapping. I flattened my second batch before baking but they rose in the oven. I wonder if the baking soda is creating the cake like texture??
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving these cookies a try! Did you chill your dough at all? That usually will prevent cookies from flattening. Let me know how I can help! xx
I have never made a recipe off your website that I didn’t like but these cookies were not the greatest. Dry and cakey. Not what I expected.
Hi Lisa,
So sorry to hear you did not enjoy these cookies. Was there anything you may have adjusted or anything that I can help with? Please let me know:) xT
My boys and I baked these cookies as part of a homeschool lesson we did. The recipe was easy to follow and the cookies were delicious! Everyone loved them! So soft and goey chocolate. Perfection
Hey Alexa,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
These cookies are DELICIOUS and the only reason I’m not rating the recipe 5 stars is because (like many people) I didn’t know they were cakey ahead of time. If it were a little clearer this recipe would be perfect. Even if you don’t normally like cakey cookies, I would recommend these cookies and definitely plan on making them again soon!
Hi there,
Thanks for your review and trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! Have the best Thursday! ?xTieghan
I made these and they are very yummy BUT I didn’t get them flattened like your pictures shows. They actually were a bit puffy and I did take them out and banged the cookie sheet onto the cabinet. Any suggestions?
Also what is the reason for the brown butter to be put into the freezer – maybe I left mine in too long because it had begun to hardened.
Hey Shirly,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback. You just want the butter to be cooled so it doesn’t cook the eggs. Next time try gently pressing the dough down with your hand before baking, that should help! xTieghan
I will say I wish I would have read the comments before making. They did turn out cake like in the middle and that surprised me but my family really enjoyed the different texture. Turned out very soft but sort of dense at the same time. I did swap coconut for a little oatmeal and chopped cashews instead of peanuts due to what I had on hand. I will definitely make them again following your recipe. Great bar version of a cookie.
Hi Samantha,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! xxTieghan
My cookies also turned out cakey as some of the other reviews mentioned. I thought the flavour was pretty good, similar to that “magic bar” vibe. I blamed it on using my silicone baking mats but maybe that wasn’t the issue after all. Probably wouldn’t make again anyhow especially if you’re going for that crispy-gooey mix they claim.
Hey Julia,
So sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I’m sorry to say these were just ok. Have made so many of your recipes, and they’re usually so delicious…but I have to agree with other comments that these turned out cakey. I followed the recipe exactly (including tapping the pan), but the texture was a miss. Not bad, but not a repeater for me.
Hey Kristi,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
I wished I had read the comments as well, although I don’t know if that would’ve deterred me as I usually have luck with HBH recipes. Mine too were cakey and bland… I think it is the amount of flour (too much?) I can’t think of what else it could’ve been. And I used sweetened coconut as thats all I had and I was worried it would be too sweet but they were not.
Hi Grace,
So sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made. The recipe is amazing! Highly recommend!!
Hi Sabrina,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
They’re super cakey and not very gooey. I only used 1/4 of the dough and need to freeze the rest. How can i fix the current dough so they don’t come out the same haha help!!!!
Hi Milena,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, was there anything you may have adjusted? Next time try banging your baking sheet on the counter while the cookies are baking. xx
hi I did that!!
i froze most of it to try again; any suggestions on what i could add to the dough?
I wouldn’t add anything to the dough. You are going to want it to let the dough come to room temp, the colder they are the more cake they will be. Remove them from the oven several times while baking and bang on the counter to flatten them.
Really disappointed I didn’t read reviews before making these cookies. I followed the recipe to a T, used all purpose flour, banged the tray as instructed and they turned out nothing like the photos. They were cakey and bland. I’ve never had a bad recipe from here but this is a first.
Hey Kristin,
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
So eager to try, I skipped my golden rule to always read reviews before attempting a recipe and paid the price.
These cookies were very disappointing, all went directly into the compost. As others commented, cakey and bland.
I have made many delicious recipes from HBH and this is the only one to get a strong “No”.
Hi Shawna,
So sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Can you add oatmeal.??
Hey Tami,
That might dry out the dough, here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthy-dark-chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookie-bars-idiot-proof/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookies/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/monster-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
When do we add the butter? It’s not in your instructions.
Hi Amanda! It’s in Step 1 🙂 xTieghan
Hi Chef Tieghan,
Thank you for sharing so many recipes online for us to try!
I read comments from other bakers before baking my first batch, so I understood the problem with the cake-like texture and complaints about lack of flavor.
I baked one batch per your instructions. Cake-like for sure. Not attractive like your photo…not even close. I believe my ingredient measurements were alright and the dough was sort of cold.
Next batch: Slam the cookie sheet after only 5 minutes of baking instead of 7. I thought I was going to get the “settled” look like yours, but after completing the baking time, the finished cookies just look round and flat 🙁
I froze dough balls for a third batch, thinking that if I put frozen balls straight into the preheated oven, that might result in the settled look. I’m done for the night, so I’ll let you know if the frozen dough is a possible solution some day in the near future!
Hi there! I am so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped! Please let me know how I can help. I really appreciate the feedback! xTieghan
I read the reviews before making these and figured the comment about the powdered milk being swapped for sweetened condensed milk sounded accurate so I gave them a try. My dough balls seemed moist so I was confident but regardless they did have a cake like texture. I still think they tasted good, my husband really likes them but did not get the settled, gooey look.
Hi Sara,
Thanks for giving them a try, the powered milk is definitely not a substitute for the sweetened condensed milk, you will want to use that next time. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan