Recipe: Seven Layer Bars

A first had this dessert at my aunt and uncle’s house about 25 years ago, and then my mother and I would make it together. Back then, we used a half-sheet pan but the recipes I encounter now are for 9×13 pans.

This is my attempt to adapt for a half-sheet pan (about 17×12) with measurements by weight, since it’s faster to weigh everything out on my digital scale than to fiddle with cups.




  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Cut a sheet of parchment paper slightly larger than the half-sheet pan. Fold the parchment to fit within the pan’s sides, then clip the corners so it sits neatly within the sides.
  3. Melt the butter, then pour it over the crumbs and stir thoroughly.
  4. Pour the buttery crumbs into the prepared pan. Press crumbs down evenly to cover.
  5. Distribute the two kinds of chips evenly across crumbs, then coconut, then walnuts.
  6. Pour the condensed milk to cover fully, as best you can.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  8. Cool completely in pan, then cut into about 36 bars.