Decadent 7 Layer Bars

As an American with exquisite American tastes in food and desserts alike, I love a good 7 layer bar. They’re sweet, simple, and dripping with nostalgia. Like I’m sure is true for a lot of you, 7 layer bars were one of those staple desserts that adults let me help throw together when I was a kid. Just like they let me help make dirt cups (chocolate pudding, oreos, and gummy worms) or dessert sushi (fruit roll ups, rice krispie treats, and some kind of gummy center). They’re quick, there’s not a lot of prep work, and it’s something to keep a child occupied for half an hour. Something to bring on a picnic, bring to a potluck, bring to a holiday.

I decided I wanted to create a slightly different take on the traditional 7 layer bars. Though they’re delicious in their own right, sometimes you just want a little variety. Just as easy, just as quick to throw together, but definitely more for the decadent chocolate dessert lovers in the world. Soft salted caramel takes the place of butterscotch chips (not something to be missed, in my book). Oreos step in for graham crackers. Pecans kick walnuts to the curb. My chocoholic heart couldn’t be happier with a plate of these in front of me.

FAQs and Science

Why line the pan with parchment paper?

The parchment paper prevents anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan, so the bars are easy to remove and enjoy!

Would flavored oreos, other than original, work well in this recipe?

Absolutely! Any flavor with notes of coffee, caramel, coconut, chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, or anything else that’s decadently aligned would work beautifully.

I prefer milk chocolate, can I use that instead of semisweet?

I would not recommend it. The semisweet gives just a hint of bitterness that cuts through the sweetness of the other layers much better than milk chocolate would.

What does toasting the pecans on their own first do?

When you’re Baking with nuts, it’s always better to toast them first. This draws out the natural oils, intensifying the flavor in the final product.

What You’ll Need

• 9×13 baking dish
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Medium mixing bowl
• Dry measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Rubber spatula
• Rolling pin
• Gallon sized zip-top bag
• Flat bottomed glass
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife

The Process

Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare the baking dish. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, set it aside. The parchment paper will make it much easier to remove the bars in the end. There’s honestly nothing more frustrating than when you’ve made it through the full baking journey, but then it sticks to the pan. Parchment paper will forever be on my necessary baking tools list, for that reason.

 Once the oven has heated, place the pecan halves onto a baking sheet and toss them into the oven. Toasting the pecans now, before adding them to the bars, draws out the natural oils in the nuts. Drawing out the natural oils intensifies the flavor in the nuts. I highly recommend this tip for anytime you’re baking with any type of nut, it truly does make a drastic difference.

Let them bake for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant. Don’t worry about them becoming a toasty golden brown yet. They’re on top of the bars, and they’ll be in the oven for long enough to finish toasting the rest of the way. This initial toast is just to give the pecans a little flavor booster. Pull them from the oven and allow them to cool as you continue on with the recipe.

Using a sharp knife, cut each soft caramel in half. This will just stretch out the amount of caramels you’ll need, though honestly if you’d like to use more than I suggested, it wont hurt anything. Just make sure that whichever brand of caramels you choose, it’s one that you genuinely like. If you wouldn’t eat them on their own, they wont benefit the bars at all. Set them aside for later.

Place the oreos into a gallon sized zip-top bag. Using a rolling pin or another heavy kitchen tool, crush the oreos until they’re nothing but crumbs. This is the perfect job to delegate to a child, if you’re baking with one. Otherwise, it’s a great way to get out any pent up aggression. Have a micromanaging boss? A neighbor you can’t stand? A controlling sibling? Picture their face in the oreos and let it rip. The therapeutic nature of baking at its finest. This should take around 5 minutes or so. Set them aside.

Chop the mostly cooled toasted pecans into small pieces. If the nuts are still hot, give them a few more minutes to cool down. But it’s okay if they’re a bit warm, chopping warm nuts wont hurt anything. Set them aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter. I just use a microwave for this, but if that isn’t an option, you can of course melt the butter in a saucepan on the stove then transfer it over to the mixing bowl. Add the crushed oreos and salt to the melted butter and stir them together with a rubber spatula.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and, using flat-bottomed glass, press the mixture firmly to the bottom of the pan. Just like when you’re making a cheesecake, you want the crust to be hard-packed in there.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the oreo crust, taking care to spread it out evenly. Don’t worry if you drag a few oreo crumbs through the condensed milk. By the time the bars have finished baking and you’re digging in, no one will notice.

Top that layer with the chocolate chips, then the caramel pieces, then the coconut, and finally the pecans. Can you switch the order of these particular layers? Sure, if you’d like. They’re all going to stick to the condensed milk, and that’s the most important thing. Just try to spread them out evenly and it’ll be fine.

Place the pan in the oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the caramel is bubbly and the coconut is golden brown. Toasty, caramelized coconut and fully toasted pecans elevate the bars drastically.

Allow the slab to cool completely in the pan, then lift it by the parchment paper and transfer it to a cutting board. If you don’t allow the slab to cool first, it wont have enough structural integrity to hold together during transfer. Patience is incredibly frustrating when what you’ve made is right there, smelling absolutely delectable. But it’s also necessary, if you don’t want it to all fall apart. Give it the time it needs. Using a chef’s knife, cut the slab into a 4×6 grid, leaving you with 24 bars.

 Store any leftover bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter, and enjoy!

Decadent 7 Layer Bars

Bake Time: 350F for 30-32 minutes
Servings: 24 bars
Total Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 sleeves Oreos
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 14-oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 14 soft salted caramels
• 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare the baking dish. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, set it aside.
2. Once the oven has heated, place the pecan halves onto a baking sheet and toss them into the oven. Let them bake for 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant. Pull them from the oven and allow them to cool as you continue on with the recipe.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut each soft caramel in half. Set them aside for later.
4. Place the oreos into a gallon sized zip-top bag. Using a rolling pin or another heavy kitchen tool, crush the oreos until they’re nothing but crumbs. This should take around 5 minutes or so. Set them aside.
5. Chop the mostly cooled toasted pecans into small pieces. Set them aside.
6. In a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add the crushed oreos and salt to the melted butter and stir them together with a rubber spatula. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and, using  flat-bottomed glass, press the mixture firmly to the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the oreo crust, taking care to spread it out evenly. Top that layer with the chocolate chips, then the caramel pieces, then the coconut, and finally the pecans.
8. Place the pan in the oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the caramel is bubbly and the coconut is golden brown. Allow the slab to cool completely in the pan, then lift it by the parchment paper and transfer it to a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, cut the slab into a 4×6 grid, leaving you with 24 bars. Store any leftover bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days on the counter, and enjoy!

Tips

• Experiment with different kinds of Oreos for the base! Red velvet, toffee crunch, and dark chocolate would be particularly good in this recipe.