Magic Easter Layer Bars are the perfect holiday dessert to brighten up your table. Made with pastel M&M’s, coconut, and chocolate chips!
Magic Easter Layer Bars are an easy way to enjoy some of your favorite dessert ingredients all baked into one easy bar. These festive layered dessert bars have M&M’s, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, condensed milk, and a graham cracker crust in one tasty bite. For more bars like this try Seven Layer Bars and Magic Monster Layer Bars.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Magic Easter Layer Bars Recipe
These M&M Layer Bars are the perfect kid-friendly dessert with pastel colors to serve up for Easter! Once they’ve cooled a little, you can cut them into squares and put them out on a plate for your family to enjoy this delicious treat throughout the day. The spring-colored M&M’s make the classic layer bars extra bright and festive looking.
My Magic Easter Layer Bars are so easy that this makes a great recipe if you have any kids who like helping in the kitchen. They’ll love sprinkling the chocolate chips and the fun-colored M&M’s. Just keep an eye out to make sure the sweet ingredients actually make it into the dessert bars instead of being eaten!
Another great thing about layer bars is that they’re easy to make with what you have on hand. You can easily swap out one of the layers for something you already have in your pantry. That way you don’t have to run out to the store, every time you want to make this fun and easy dessert.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter: Melted butter provides a rich, buttery flavor and helps bind the graham cracker crumbs for the crust.
- 1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs: These crumbs form the base of the bars, adding a sweet and slightly nutty flavor to the crust.
- 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk: This thick, sweet milk adds moisture, sweetness, and creaminess to the bars. It also helps hold all the ingredients together.
- 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: These provide the tasty chocolaty layer, adding richness and sweetness. You can use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips for a different flavor or white chocolate chips for a sweeter taste.
- 1 cup Butterscotch Chips: Butterscotch chips bring a warm sweet butterscotch flavor to the bars. You can replace them with peanut butter chips or caramel chips for variation.
- 1 cup Easter Pastel M&M Candies: These colorful candies add a festive touch and a crunchy texture to the bars. You can use regular M&M’s or other candy-coated chocolates if you prefer.
- 1 ⅓ cups Coconut Flakes: Flaked coconut adds a chewy texture and a mild coconut flavor to the bars. You can use unsweetened shredded coconut to cut down on the sugar.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Pan (13×9-inch): A larger baking pan makes sure the bars aren’t too thick and they bake evenly. Make sure to coat it with baking spray or line the dish with parchment paper for easy removal and cleaning.
- Mixing Bowl: You’ll need a medium bowl to combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter for the crust.
- Fork: A fork is used to press down firmly on the layers of chocolate chips, M&M candies, and coconut.
How to Make
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Prep for Baking
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13×9-inch baking pan with baking spray or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Make the Crust
In a mixing bowl or food processor, combine 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup melted butter. Mix until the crumbs are evenly coated.
- Form the Crust
Press the graham cracker mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to create the crust.
- Add Condensed Milk
Evenly pour 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker crust.
- Layer the Ingredients
Layer 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, 1 cup butterscotch chips, 1 cup Easter Pastel M&M candies, and 1 ⅓ cups flaked coconut evenly on top of the condensed milk layer.
- Press Firmly
Using a fork, press down firmly on the layers to compact them.
- Bake the Bars
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Cool and Serve
Allow the bars to cool completely, preferably by refrigerating until cold. Once cooled, cut them into squares and serve at room temperature.
Can This Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, Magic Easter Layer Bars can be made ahead of time. Prepare them, let them cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can be stored for up to 3 days for the freshest taste.
Nutritional Facts
Tips and Tricks
- Perfectly Layered Goodness: When layering your ingredients, start with chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on the sweetened condensed milk layer. This helps create a delicious chocolate barrier, preventing the coconut from absorbing too much moisture and staying chewy.
- Chill Before Cutting: For clean and neat cuts, refrigerate the bars after baking until they are cold. This makes slicing into those colorful layers a breeze and keeps them looking picture-perfect.
- Double Batch for Parties: Magic Easter Layer Bars are a crowd-pleaser. Consider making a double batch for larger gatherings; they disappear quickly!
- Easy Cleanup: To simplify cleanup, use parchment paper to line your baking pan before pressing in the crust. This also makes it easier to lift the bars out once they’ve cooled.
- Share Your Tips: Have your own tips and tricks for this recipe? Share them in the comments below and inspire fellow bakers!
How to Store
Storing
To keep Magic Easter Layer Bars fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Separate layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking and preserve their flavors.
Freezing
To freeze, wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Cut them into squares and separate them with parchment paper so they don’t stick together in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving, or enjoy them straight from the freezer for a chilled treat.
Frequent Questions
To keep your Easter Bars fresh and make sure the ingredients don’t melt together, be sure to keep them in the fridge. Left out too long they’ll get more messy and sticky, so they’re best served cool.
Yes, you can substitute graham cracker crumbs with other crispy cookies like Oreos or vanilla wafer cookies for a similar crust texture and flavor.
If you don’t have butterscotch chips, you can substitute them with peanut butter chips or caramel chips for a different flavor.
Yes, you can use regular M&M’s or other candy-coated chocolates if you don’t have Easter Pastel M&M candies. The choice is flexible.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , melted
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup Easter Pastel M&M candies
- 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Coat 13×9-inch baking pan with baking spray.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter.
- Press into bottom of prepared pan.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.
- Layer evenly with chocolate chips, m&ms and coconut.
- Press down firmly with a fork.
- Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool completely (preferably refrigerate until cold) before cutting and serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Click on the “yield” amount to slide and change the number of servings and the recipe will automatically update!
- Click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- To convert measurements to grams, click on the “Metric” option next to “Ingredients” in the recipe card.
Nutrition
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Variations on Easter Layer Bars
- Chocolate Chips: There are plenty of other kinds of chocolate chips you can add to this recipe. Try dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips. You can use these chips as replacements for what’s in the recipe, or just add them as an extra layer.
- M&M’s: Depending on what kind of M&M’s you use you can make these Layer Bars for any time of year. Try regular or peanut M&M’s to have these bars year-round. You can also use red and green M&M’s for Christmas or try some Reese’s Pieces for a Halloween treat.
- Crust: Instead of using graham crackers for the crust, try out other crumbs. Some delicious options would be vanilla wafers, nutter butter cookies, or Biscoff cookies.
- Oat Layer: To add some fiber and make a chewy texture put a layer of oats in the bars. ¾ of a cup of quick or old-fashioned oats should do nicely.
- More Layers: For more delicious layers try adding pretzel pieces, peanut butter cups, peanuts, almonds, or Rice Krispies. The great thing about layer bars is you can really get as creative as you want!
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