These chocolate magic cookies contain all the flavors and textures of magic bars but in an easy cookie form. The cookies need just 4 ingredients and don’t require any flour, eggs or butter. The cookies are an easy, one-bowl recipe and you don’t even need a mixer. The cookies can be customized and they store well.
These cookies really taste like magic bars but in cookie form. I gifted magic cookies for the holidays last year and they were a big hit. The cookies are chewy, crispy, and fudgy. With so many textures and flavors, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Chips
- Condensed Milk
- Coconut Flakes
- Walnuts
Chocolate chips: Some of the chocolate chips are melted down to create the chocolate flavor for the cookies. I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate so that the cookies are not too sweet.
Condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk is used as a binding agent. It also gives the cookies their chewy and fudgy texture.
Coconut flakes: Unsweetened coconut flakes form the base for the cookies. Make sure to use coconut flakes and not shredded coconut.
Walnuts: I used chopped walnuts to add a crunchy texture and to keep the cookies from being too sweet. You can substitute walnuts with other nuts. If you need these to be nut-free, you can also use crumbled graham crackers for texture instead.
Magic bars usually also contain a layer of graham crackers but I left them out as I didn’t feel like they were needed and they made the cookies sweeter. But you can definitely add in crushed or crumbled graham crackers into the cookie batter if you enjoy that element of magic bars.
What are Chocolate Magic Cookies
Chocolate magic cookies are inspired by magic bars, also known as 7-layer bars and Hello Dolly bars. The bars usually contain 7 layers of ingredients. These magic cookies take out the complicated preparation of magic bars by combining all the main ingredients from magic bars into an easy one-bowl cookie dough.
This chocolate version of magic cookies adds melted chocolate to the batter which adds a fudgy, brownie-like texture to the cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Magic Cookies
- The condensed milk and some of the chocolate chips are first melted until smooth. The coconut flakes, walnuts and chocolate chips are then stirred in.
- Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough. Flatten the dough balls with your palm until they form thick round disks. Press a few chocolate chips onto the surface of each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes or until done.
Expert Tips
- You can easily customize these cookies with your favorite ingredients from magic bars. For example, you can add crushed graham crackers if you like the graham cracker layer in magic bars. You can also remove the nuts if you don’t like nuts.
- Make sure to use coconut flakes and not shredded coconut. Coconut flakes form the base of the cookies. Your coconut flakes should be about 1/2 inch pieces. If you are using a brand of coconut flakes that makes longer strands, pulse them in a food processor to make them smaller so that they are easier to shape into cookie form.
- This recipe makes big cookies, but you can make them smaller with a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop.
More Magic Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Magic Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Apple Pie Magic Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Healthier Magic Cookies
4 Ingredient Chocolate Magic Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) sweetened full fat condensed milk
- 1 cup (160 g) semisweet chocolate chips divided
- 3 cups (180 g) unsweetened coconut flakes see note
- 1/2 cup (50 g) walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add condensed milk and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat in the microwave at full power in 15-30 second increments, stirring in between with a spatula, until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted.
- Add in coconut flakes, walnuts and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Stir until they are evenly mixed in to the chocolate. The batter should also become very thick.
- Use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the cookie mixture. Release onto your prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough, spacing each cookie at least 1.5 inches apart.
- Lightly wet your hands and then compact, flatten and shape the cookie mixture into round disks. The cookies do not spread much during baking so shape the cookies how you want the final outcome to be. Press a few more chocolate chips onto the surface of the cookies with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
- Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until done. When the cookies are done they should no longer look like wet batter. Let cookies cool fully on the baking sheet to allow them to set. Once cool, you should be able to easily peel them off the parchment paper. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. Keep cookies in fridge or freezer if you wish to store them longer.
Notes
- Coconut flakes note: Make sure to use unsweetened coconut flakes and not shredded coconut. You want the coconut flakes to be around 1/2 inch pieces. I used Bob's Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes (Amazon | Target | Walmart)* which has flakes around 1/2 inch. If you use a brand of coconut flakes where the strands are long, pulse them in a food processor until they are about 1/2 inch pieces.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- This recipe makes large cookies. You can make smaller cookies using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop. Your bake time will also need to be reduced by a few minutes for smaller cookies.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
