These Chocolate Covered Cherry Magic Bars and their brownie base are the delicious candy made into a decadent dessert! Of all the magic bar variations, this one might be the most decadent. These 7 layer magic bars are made without graham crackers and without coconut for a different twist on a classic recipe.
If you are looking for other great magic bars, make sure you try these S’mores Magic Bars, these Milky Way Magic Bars and these Strawberries and Cream Magic Bars. Or make original magic cookie bars.
It has come to my attention in the last week that Piper isn’t a baby anymore. She’s like a for real kid. (I just want you to know that I can hear your collective “Duh.” and I really don’t appreciate it.)
She is making all of her wants and needs very clear. She is doing things in an attempt to be funny (and totally succeeding) and she wants to do anything and everything that her older brother and sister are doing. In short, she is in the thick of it.
You guys yesterday we watched her take the sword from Gavin’s Knight Costume and walk up to Quinn (who was sitting at the kitchen counter on a stool), and with a huge grin, she started smacking Quinn with it. When Quinn started to whine and cry, Piper did her very familiar pucker up move, letting Quinn know she wanted to give her a kiss.
Quinn, thinking all is safe, climbs down from the stool, and gives her little sister a kiss, only to then be smacked again with the sword, but harder now because they are on the same level. And because we are horrible parents we just stood there observing the whole thing and remarking to each other that our baby isn’t a baby anymore. (Is it wrong that as someone with two older siblings, a small part of me took some joy in it??)
So the perfect thing to drown my sorrows in my baby becoming a KID? Is these amazing Chocolate Covered Cherry Magic Bars. Guys, I legit do not do my magic bars by the book. First, I generally skimp on the number of layers, going from like 7 to like 4. And I also love to shove a layer of sugar cookie in there. But this time? This time I shoved a layer of BROWNIE in there. Sooooooo, delicious.
And if you are really sad about your baby becoming a KID? Well then you make a huge tower of them and you top it with ice cream and fudge sauce. (Okay, see that collective “Duh” I feel good about.)
TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THESE MAGIC BARS
- Make sure you are using Sweetened Condensed Milk and not Evaporated Milk. The containers are virtually identically and sold right next to each other so it’s an easy mistake to make, but they are very very different.
- Make sure you don’t use extra sweetened condensed milk. You aren’t using a whole can. Just 6 ounces.
- These need to cool and set before you cut into them. They will still be gooey, but delicious.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Magic Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purposed flour scooped and leveled – see note
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 stick butter 8 TBSPS
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 10 oz jar of maraschino cherries drained and cut in half
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk not evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder.
- Melt together the butter and 1/4 cup chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth.
- Mix the melted chocolate/butter, eggs, and vanilla into the dry ingredients until fully combined. Press into the bottom of the baking dish.
- Top the brownie mixture with the cherries, chocolate chips, and then the sweetened condensed milk.
- Bake for 28 to 30 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Allow to set up overnight before cutting and serving.
Notes
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
Ahhhhh no more baby! It is such a sad thing! I would immerse my sorrows in that stack of huge brownies. And for the record I would have watched also :)
Lol!
Roxana says
Chocolate and cherries forever!! These look so decadent and dreamy! :)
Beverley says
Lisa I have been drooling over this recipe all weekend and tomorrow I can finally get round to making them. Thank you in advanced from my tummy and me. Lots of love Beverley xoxo
I hope you like it Beverley!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
As a middle child, I am going to have to side with Quinn on this, and then stuff my face with one of these bars.
Ha!
Becky says
I will be making these like maybe even tomorrow. I am thinking about using Almond Extract instead of Vanilla. Do they really have to sit overnight? In the refrigerator or room temperature?
You can for sure dig in right away, but they will be GOOEY. And they can just sit on the counter overnight. Almond extract is a great idea! I totally had that thought while they were in the oven, lol!
MJ Wynne says
Do you know if “cup for cup” gluten-free flour would work in these? They look soooo good!
I wish I had an answer for you MJ. I just have absolutely no experience baking gluten free. :/
Dee says
Hii! I can’t wait to make the Chocolate Covered Cherry Magic Bars today for our christmas eve dinner. You list 1/4 cup choco chips and the an additional cup of semi sweet chips. Is it semi sweet for both or do you use milk choc chips? And also which measurement do you melt and which do you use for the topping? And just to confirm, you put the toppings (chips, cherries and cond. milk) on before baking?
The first 1/4 cup are for the brownie batter, and you can use semi sweet or milk. The second 1 cup are for the topping. And yes, all the toppings go on and then bake. Enjoy!
Tanya says
Do you think using cherry pie filling would work instead of maraschino cherries?
I think it would add too much liquid Tanya
Carley says
I honestly felt like I got punk’d after I made these. They look NOTHING like the pictures. Like at all. So bummed. I made them for Valentine’s Day but had to whip up some chocolate strawberries instead, I will sadly be tossing the whole pan.
Dude, that’s totally how I felt about some furniture from IKEA that I ordered. On a serious note, I’m SO sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. I have had others try them and they work so it’s hard for me to say where they went wrong. Is there *any** chance you mistakenly bought evaporated milk? That would really mess up this recipe and they look so similar in the store. Again, I’m really sorry. I know how frustrating it can be to have a recipe not work out.
Allene says
I simply Love cherries but I am going to use the candy cherries red and green for christmas…