Hello Dolly Bars

The classic Hello Dolly receipe is so much better and less sugary. We did press down the crust (or it falls apart as others mentioned). Did not use butterscotch, used semi-sweet chips only. Used Walnuts instead of pecans. And used judgement on drizzling the condensed milk, cause, yes, an entire can is WAY TOO MUCH. We have experimented over the years with adding dried cherries and almonds. We also liked a version where we added peanut butter chips. Light, however, it is not. Enjoy it for what it and don't make it very often.

this is a great recipe but the picture is not appealing at all. what happened to the other pic?

I hate to give these a mediocre review, but I've cooked them a couple of different ways and they haven't come out quite right yet. I've tried packing the graham cracker crumbs differently, mixing some condensed milk directly with the graham crackers, etc. The last batch was okay, but just okay to be honest. If they were as easy as the recipe describes and came out well, I'd still only raise my rating to about 3 stars.

I love these. My old recipe does not include butterscotch chips and we don't bother toasting the nuts - we call them magic cookie bars. I'll try one batch with butterscotch next time. I also use a 9 x 13 pan. You do want the milk to soak in the crumbs some but be forewarned - if you don't pack down the crumbs the bar will fall apart - note the crumbs in the picture. These are sooooo addictive. If you have a large family make two batches. Try them!

I have made this recipe for the last 4 years and everyone loves them! I always get requests for more. I found that I get the best results by using a 9x13 pan and doubling all of the ingredients except the sweetened condensed milk. They turn out perfectly!

This recipe was in my Jack and Jill magazine in the 70's, maybe late 60's. I made them for a friend of mine in the Viet Nam war. I was 12 and 13. He was 21 and 22. He never refused them so I guess they were well received. I love these, too. Yummy every time.

Delicious! Made these last week and they were a huge hit in our home...making some more tonight!

I love to make these, they are so easy. I usually make half with just butterscotch and half with just chocolate. I am not much of a chocolate fan.

I first learned the original recipe 43 years ago in high school home ec. class - I wouldn't bother making it in a 9" pan - I use the full p"x13" and and there are never left overs!

You've just added butterscotch morsels to the original Magic cookie bars.

I made several cookies/bars for Christmas and these were definitely the favorite for my family! We loved them!!

Really easy and yummy! Just let them cool down before cutting, and had no problems. didn't add nuts and they still turned out wonderful. excellent christmas goodies.

I make this recipe every holiday season. I always do multiple "layers" (a little bit of the amounts at a time) of the chips , pecans and coconut to help make sure that the flavors are spread throughout. I haven't had too many problems with them being gooey with this layering (the melty chips are spread out between the pecans and coconut) Also, if you let the bars cool a bit they cut so much easier! These cookies stay moist and delicious if stored properly, so don't think you have to get them out of the pan right away!! The bit of cooling will be fine for them!

all the men in my family love these treats. ran out of graham crackers so made a shortbread crust. great alternative.

My aunt cut this recipe out of the newspaper some 40 + years ago and it quickly became a family favorite. However, it is made a little differently. Here's our recipe along with **tips we've learned over the years to make perfect cookies every time. Enjoy! Melt 1/2 cup( 1 stick) butter or margarine in a 13X 9 glass pan - **spray sides of pan with cooking spray after melted Add in layers: 2 cups crushed Nilla Vanilla Wafers (or graham crackers) - we think Nillas are the best 1 cup chocolate chips (or butterscotch chips) - great either way 1 cup shredded coconut 1 cup chopped pecans 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk drizzled over all Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until a light golden brown. **To keep edges from over browning, cover with aluminum foil and cut out the center leaving about 1 1/2 - 2 inches covering the edges. Remove from oven and after 30 minutes, loosen edges with spatula so cookies come out clean. **COOL FOR 2 HOURS BEFORE CUTTING.

These were a fabulous treat and fun to make with my 2 1/2 year old. She got a kick out of sprinkling the toppings. Very rich, and very sweet. A nice treat. Next time I will press the graham cracker crust a little harder, following the directions lead to a pretty crumbly crust, but still a good one.

Agreed about the hot, gooey mess! I made as stated, except I used some graham cracker crumbs with some Girl Scout Trefoil crumbs, since I wanted to use them up. I also made 1.5 of the recipe so that it could fit in a 9x13 pan. I was so disappointed when I took them out of the oven and discovered that you can't really cut them into bars--they're too gooey. I have them now in the freezer for a few minutes, hoping to help set them and firm them up! Otherwise, tasty (but a tad too sweet for me). Most likely will not make again.

i make magic cookie bars every christmas party but i add white chocolate and lots of chopped roasted almonds. they are always gone!

This bar recipe can't be beat for easy making and rich flavors.

I doubled this recipe and baked in a 9 x 13 pan w/wax paper. I only had 1 can of the sweetened condensed milk and thank goodness because even in a 9 x 13 and doubling all of the ingredients except the sweetened condensed milk, it was plenty sweet!

This has been a favorite of our family for years but we have always used saltine crackers instead of graham crackers. Cuts some of the sweetness perfectly.

this is indeed an old reciipe. the recipe ingredients and instructions -melt 1 stick of butter in 9" pan, spread graham cracker crumbs over the melted butter. i have never used water. lager the the coconut, 6 oz of chips, and 1 (one) cup of cut pepans. then pour 1 can condesed mill over the layers. Bake @350 degrees for 25-30 mins... NOTICE- NO WATER!

My family has loved these for years, but never made them in layers. We mix everything together and double the recipe to make an 11 by 13 panfull - they vanish!

The recipe I have is slightly different (magic bar cookies)...I have adjusted it a little too...I use a chocloate cake mix instead of the graham crackers on the bottom...sometimes I make it with crushed pretzles and white chocolate instead of the nuts and choclate chips.. GREAT recipe...no bowl, easy clean up...never have used the parchment paper...

I love this recipe. It is easy and yummy. If you do not like super sweet desserts, this is not for you. I made it in the 9X13 pan (by mistake) with the parchment paper the first time and it was horrid gooey mess (that we still ate because YUM!) The 2nd time I made this I did it in the 9 inch pan without parchement and used a Baking spray and it turned out perfectly. It was easy to cut into bars and easily eat - it is a gooey bar anyway but it did not fall apart like the first try and it did not stick to the parchement paper or pan like on the first try. I love this recipe because it takes about 15 minutes to assemble and 25 minutes to cook!

What a fantastic recipe! I have made this recipe for potlucks, given as gifts, and for myself. Theses bars are always a hit. The recipe is easy to modify according to ones taste.

What a gooey mess!! The graham crackers were totally mush. I didn't notice that someone suggested it should have been a 9x13 pan so I put it in a 9 inch square. Way too much condensed milk. Might try again in a 9x13 pan.

This recipe is might not be for the most special of occasions, but for it's simpleness and quick baking, I think it is OUTSTANDING for a fast, easy, tasty dessert, maybe for a casual dinner party. I did not have butterscotch morsels when I made it, and it still turned out great. I also added cranberries to one half, and both the cranberry and non-cranberry were great. Overall this was a great recipe, and I will definately make it again.

I have made these for years using my mother's recipe and have always gotten rave reviews. This recipe calls for far less butter in the crust than the original and tastes just as good. I did have to add additional water in order to get the graham cracker crumbs to stick together though. Next time I think I will reduce the sweetened condensed milk by half. Overall very easy and well liked.

These are GREAT BARS...however this recipe has a major flaw in it... either the condensed cream must be halved or the baking dish increased. I wondered why my bars were "swimming" in the cream and never set properly and then i noticed that most other recipe references for these bars had 9x13 pans or 1/2 can portions in the recipe. Once I remade them with a bigger baking pan, they were perfect!

I agree that these are a tried and true wonderful confection. I just don't understand why photos that show the finished product are often deceptive. Count how many bars these have been cut into--only about 20. Then they wouldn't likely be classified as "light", would they?

I have been making these for 30 years, and I have NEVER used Parchment paper, I use a non stick 13x9 pan. I don't use coconut because we dont like it. I use plain graham cracker crumbs, add enough butter to make moist, 12 oz bag of each of the chips, and LARGE bag of Walnuts. Mine cut into squares perfectly and never fall apart.

My mom and her friends would make these every chance they had. I'm still enjoying them 60 years later! My kids love them and now make them each Christmas. What a great memory! Thanks!

This is an old recipe that has been updated in an attempt to make it lighter. I haven't tried it and probably won't since I am quite happy with the original recipe. While reading the reviews I was surprised by the person who threw away what they didn't eat right away. Cookies freeze beautifully; just thaw what you need at the time. You never know when you might need to provide cookies for guests or to take to a covered dish dinner or just to satisfy a family sweet tooth. The ingredients are too expensive to waste. You could also give them to a neighbor, or take them to work or to church for Sunday's coffee hour. Don't just throw them away - share!