Gluten Free Magic Bars
Stop the press. It’s official – our favorite cookie sits next to me as I write this: gluten free Magic Bars. We brought together a happy marriage of oatmeal and our Flour Farm flour to create the perfect sweet. The entire family has unanimously asked for these cookies to be present at our holiday meal; however, they are welcome any time of year. Woo! Get ready to indulge in decadent, chocolatey, cookie delight.
Magical Bars
What makes these bars so magical? First off, they are SO EASY to bake. Second, we make an oatmeal, chocolate chip cookie crust as the foundation for several layers of toppings. We use organic, gluten free ingredients that include unsweetened shredded coconut, homemade butterscotch chips, Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, and chopped raw cashews. We also cook up our own sweetened condensed milk. Yum! You do not need to whip up your own ingredients to make these cookie bars. The recipe makes delicious cookies.
DIY Sweetened Condensed Milk
Follow these directions to make your own Sweetened Condensed Milk: Add 946 ml (32 oz) Whole Milk or Milk Alternative (4 C) and 200g (7 oz) Light Brown Sugar (1 C packed) to a medium sized sauce pan. Heat on medium low and stir slowly until sugar has dissolved. Bring mixture to a low simmer and maintain that simmer for about 1 hr, 15 minutes to 1 hr, 30 minutes. DO NOT STIR while simmering and DO NOT BOIL. Occasionally skim off any impurities that foam up on the surface. Your milk is ready when you have reduced the amount by half. We continue to cook down until there are a little over 14 ounces left. Remove from the heat, stir and allow to cool in the pan. Store in the refrigerator in a lidded, pint sized jar until ready to use. Allow to come to room temperature before adding to the recipe.
The result is far superior to anything you will buy off the shelf. Best of all, you can make the sweetened condensed milk ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to six months. For a video tutorial, check out Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking Blog.
DIY Butterscotch Chips
This recipe has been adapted from Heavenly Homemakers Blog. Thank you!
To make your own Butterscotch Chips: add 57g (2 oz or 4 T) salted butter, 57g (2 oz or 1/4 C) coconut oil, and 100g (3.5 oz or 1/2 C packed) light brown sugar into a medium sized sauce pan. Heat on medium-low until the sugar is just dissolved in the liquid fats. Keep the temperature under 200 F/93 C. Do Not Boil! A digital read or candy thermometer works wonders. This process takes no more than 5 minutes. If you see any bubbles come to the surface, turn the heat to low. Whisk frequently. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla, whisk and remove from heat. Pour into a greased 7” spring form pan. If you use a larger pan, no worries, your chips will come out a bit thinner. If not using a spring form pan, place unbleached parchment on the bottom of your pan and then grease. Place pan in the refrigerator for several hours until set. It’s ready when you push on the surface and it feels solid. If your finger leaves an indent, refrigerate for another hour or until set. These chips store beautifully in the refrigerator for several weeks. We keep ours in a sealed Mason jar.
A quick note: if you accidentally boil the sugar or overcook the liquid, don’t freak. You will know this happened if your liquid separates from the sugar and looks like a gooey mess instead of looking like a newlywed couple. All you have to do is spoon off the extra fat and pour the mixture into the pan. It will still taste yummy. Guess how I know this??
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Please let us know how your gluten free Magic Bars turned out! We love to receive feedback. Rate this recipe and leave a comment in the section provided below. Thank you.
An important note: this recipe successfully uses Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend. Flour Farm may be purchased through our website or through our partners: Amazon.com & Azure Standard. If you choose to make this with another flour blend, please note that your results may differ.
Peace & LOVE – Teri
P.S. Flour Farm gives back. We are committed to bringing healthy food to members of our community. If you are looking for replacement ingredients, please consider supporting Flour Farm and 2nd Harvest by clicking on this Amazon Associate link. We donate 50% of the profit made from Amazon purchases to 2nd Harvest, which is a local organization dedicated to feeding our children, our community and helping those in need. You will be sent directly to Amazon.com; we do not store any of your information. Thank you and share the love.
– Teri & Dave
Recipe Inspiration: Tieghen Gerard’s killer recipe, 7 Layer Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars found at The Half Baked Harvest; Photos by DuPree Productions; Recipe updated 6.20 for clarity
Gluten Free Magic Bars
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 25 bars 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These gluten free Magic Bars will put a sweet spell on your friends and family. This recipe is easy to adapt in order to layer in your favorite ingredients. Use our suggestions as a guide. Instructions are provided in the notes section to make your own ingredients.
Ingredients
Choose Gluten Free, Non-GMO, & Organic Ingredients.
Substitutions: Do you need suggestions to swap out an ingredient? Click here.
Note: If clicking the 2X or 3X scale boxes to the right, please know that weights listed in parentheses below may or may not change. Please take care to check amounts if increasing the recipe.
Cookie Crust
- 75g (2.6 oz) Rolled Oats, also called old fashioned oats (3/4 C)
- 60g (2.1 oz) Flour Farm Organic Gluten Free Flour Blend (1/2 C + 1 tsp spoon & level)
- 50g (1.8 oz) Light Brown Cane Sugar (1/4 C packed)
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda (1g)
- 1/4 tsp Extra Fine Pink Himalayan Salt (1.5g)
- 59ml (2 fl oz) Neutral Oil, we use sunflower oil (1/4 C)
- 1/2 Large Pasture Raised Egg, slightly beaten (25g)
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (5 ml)
- 62g (2.2 oz) Mini Chocolate Chips (1/3 C)
Layers
(Add more or less depending on your preference. Use the measurements as a guide.)
- 62g (2.2 oz) Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (3/4 C)
- 95g (3.3 oz) Mini Chocolate Chips (1/2 C)
- 85g (3 oz) Butterscotch Chips (3/4 C)
- 198g (7 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 C – 2 T or 1/2 of a 14 oz can)
- 57g (2 oz) Raw Cashews, roughly chopped (or nut of your choice) (1/2 C)
Instructions
Equipment: Digital Scale (preferred), 8 x 8″ Square Baking Pan, Mixing Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Sturdy Mixing Spoon, Cooling Rack, Whisk
Before You Dive In – Prep: Please read!
- Prepare homemade sweetened condensed milk, (if using homemade), bring to room temperature
- Prepare homemade butterscotch chips, (if using homemade)
- Lay unbleached parchment on the bottom of pan and grease (skip the parchment if using a silicone treated pan)
- Move oven rack to center
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 C)
Step 1: Combine all ingredients for the cookie crust except the chocolate chips. Mix well with a sturdy spoon until all ingredients are incorporated. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the surface of the dough. Gently press the chocolate chips into the dough.
Step 2: Bake in a preheated 350 F/177 C oven in the middle of the center rack for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Remove pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Spread the coconut evenly over the surface. Next, spread an even layer of mini chocolate chips followed by a layer of butterscotch chips. Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. Finish with a layer of chopped cashews.
Step 4: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. The top will appear golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the pan to the cooling rack. Cool for several hours before cutting. Bars refrigerate well for up to three days or freeze for up to a month.
Enjoy!
Notes
Sweetened Condensed Milk: Add 946 ml (32 oz) Whole Milk or Milk Alternative (4 C) and 200g (7 oz) Light Brown Sugar (1 C packed) to a medium sized sauce pan. Heat on medium low and stir slowly until sugar has dissolved. Bring mixture to a low simmer and maintain that simmer for about 1 hr, 15 minutes to 1 hr, 30 minutes. DO NOT STIR while simmering and DO NOT BOIL. Occasionally skim off any impurities that foam up on the surface. Your milk is ready when you have reduced the amount by half. We continue to cook down until there are a little over 14 ounces left. Remove from the heat, stir and allow to cool in the pan. Store in the refrigerator in a lidded, pint sized jar until ready to use. Allow to come to room temperature before adding to the recipe.
Butterscotch Chips: add 57g (2 oz or 4 T) salted butter, 57g (2 oz or 1/4 C) coconut oil, and 100g (3.5 oz or 1/2 C packed) light brown sugar into a medium sized sauce pan. Heat on medium-low until the sugar is just dissolved in the liquid fats. Keep the temperature under 200 F/93 C. DO NOT BOIL! A digital read or candy thermometer works wonders. This process takes no more than 5 minutes. If you see any bubbles come to the surface, turn the heat to low. Whisk frequently. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla, whisk and remove from heat. Pour into a greased 7” spring form pan. If you use a larger pan, no worries, your chips will come out a bit thinner. If not using a spring form pan, place unbleached parchment on the bottom of your pan and then grease. Place pan in the refrigerator for several hours until set. It’s ready when you push on the surface and it feels solid. If your finger leaves an indent, refrigerate for another hour or until set. These chips store beautifully in the refrigerator for several weeks. We keep ours in a sealed Mason jar.
Nutrition information provided below is for the recipe as written using Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, homemade sweetened condensed milk, and homemade butterscotch chips. Each bar weighs approximately 30g (1 oz).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: holiday
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 55mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
Keywords: Gluten Free Magic Bars
For more sweet gluten free recipes by Flour Farm, click on this link!
This is my family’s favorite cookie for the holidays. Thank you so much for a delicious gluten free version. I used organic canned sweetened condensed milk, and I made the homemade butterscotch chips. They tasted so much better than the store purchased chips. I plan to pass this recipe along!
★★★★★