You are in for a real treat with these Loaded Caramel Magic Cookie Bars! White chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and caramel in these fantastic cookies. Serve a platter of these beauties for family gatherings and potlucks, and they will be devoured. They also happen to be Low Carb, Keto, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, and Grain-Free too.
We try to limit how often we eat desserts in our house and stick to lots of fruits and veggies. However, there are times when you just need something sweet to cure that craving. These delicious magic cookie bars are so easy and always put a smile on our faces. They are a white chocolate macadamia version of one of my first ever blog recipes, a keto version of classic Magic Cookie Bars which use Sugar-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk.
In addition to eating all these amazing cookie bars, we also enjoy making them as gifts too. They are perfect for wrapping up in a cute box and add some ribbon, then give them to neighbors, friends, teachers, bosses, co-workers, or even to the special women in your life for Mother’s Day.
I love adding macadamia nuts in the cookie bars because it gives them the perfect crunch. The texture of these loaded caramel magic cookie bars is out of this world. When you sink your teeth into a freshly made cookie, you will feel almost guilty because they are sinfully delicious. Don’t worry, though; they are much healthier than other versions!
How To Make Loaded Caramel Magic Cookie Bars
You are going to be licking your fingers when you eat these cookie bars. Due to the fact that they are utterly incredible, they are next to impossible to resist. Let’s get started so you can make your own soon.
First Step: Mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, and melted butter and press the crust into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
Second Step: Bake the crust at 350 degrees F. for 12 minutes. It should be golden brown when you take it out.
Third Step: Prepare the sugar-free caramel while the cookie is baking. Put the heavy cream, two tablespoons of butter, and sweetener in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir often to prevent burning. Once it’s done, it should be caramel colored and thick enough that you can put a spoon in it, and it will coat the back of it.
Fourth Step: After you remove the caramel from the stove, allow it to cool until it’s room temperature.
Fifth Step: Start assembling your magic cookie bars by sprinkling the nuts and chocolate chips on the cookie crust. Drizzle the caramel on top and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When they are golden brown, they are done.
Sixth Step: Let the loaded magic cookie bars cool all the way and put them in the fridge to chill before serving. If you serve them warm, the crust will crumble, so it’s worth the wait.
Can I Use Different Nuts Besides Macadamia Nuts?
Yes, absolutely, you can adjust the nuts in the homemade cookie bars. We use macadamia nuts because we enjoy how they taste and love the texture. However, you could use pretty much any kind of nut that you like. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds would be lovely choices too.
Is It Okay To Add Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips?
The flavor of white chocolate chips is fantastic in combination with the caramel and macadamia nuts, but you would also use semi-sweet chocolate if you want. Use sugar-free chocolate chips to keep these cookies sugar-free, but any kind you want will work well. You could even do half white chocolate and half semi-sweet to add even more depth to the cookie bars.
Too busy to make crust and caramel? My Keto Magic Cookies mix up in just five minutes and you can sub in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for the semi-sweet chips and walnuts!
Next, make sure to try my new White Chocolate Cranberry Seven Layer Bars!
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Ingredients
Crust:
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 egg yolk
Sweetened Condensed Milk:
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp butter divided
- ⅔ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
Magic Cookie Bar Toppings:
- ½ cup sugar-free white chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts (or other nuts of choice)
Instructions
Crust:
- Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 12 min. or until golden brown.
Caramel:
- Meanwhile, make the sugar free condensed milk. Bring the heavy cream, 2 tablespoons butter, and sweetener to a gentle boil and cook stirring frequently until it is golden brown and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from the heat. Add the last tablespoon of butter and mix well. Cool for at least 5 minutes before assembling. Otherwise, the caramel will melt the chocolate chips.
Assembly:
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts onto the crust. Drizzle the caramel over the top.
- Bake at 350 for 20 min. until set and golden brown. Cool completely and chill in the fridge before serving or the crust can crumble.
Notes
Nutrition
J. K. says
For me, these were a Pinterest fail. The crust is so crumbly it won’t hold together at all. The caramel looked perfect, but after allowing it to cool slightly it crystallized. Maybe I cooked it too long? Or perhaps too high of heat? Caramel can be tricky it seems. ( For me, anyway)! Not sure I will try it again, although the pic looks so tasty ! Really wish mine turned out more gooey like the photo, but even so the crust was also an issue on mine. I consider myself an experienced baker, so this was totally frustrating and surprising to me.
Taryn says
I'm sorry to hear that. This is based on my regular magic cookie bars which have dozens of 5 star reviews. The crust holds up after chilling. Caramel with alternative sweeteners can be tricky. Some crystallize and some don't. I've read allulose does not. It's on my to do list to play around with it for my caramel recipes.
How did they taste? To me that's the important part. I hope you still liked the flavor.
Amy says
Is your sweetened condensed milk the caramel?
Taryn says
Yes, when you cook it longer than usual it caramelizes.
Jenny says
I love your recipes and have made many of them. I made these with the crust exactly as instructed, let them cool, & chilled them in the refrigerator as instructed before cutting them into squares. I was so disappointed when the crust didn't stay intact with the toppings when I cut them into squares. It crumbled & separated from the bars. It was quite a mess. Some bars had part of the crust, some had hardly any. I ended up having to throw away crumbled up crust. I was so excited to try this one, but the results with the crumbled up crust made them not presentable to serve to guests. Please advise if you have any other suggestions for a less crumbly crust that will stay on the bars. They tasted good but were a bit too sweet without the crust layer. I would like to try making them again if possible.
Taryn says
I'm sorry the crust didn't work for you, Jenny. I haven't had the crust crumble so much after chilling. But, I'm going to recommend adding an egg. An egg will make the crust softer but it should hold up better.
Sabrina says
I always add 1 tablespoon gelatin powder. It is amazing and keeps the crust nicely together and a bit chewy which in my opinion is a plus ☺️
Sabrina says
The metric is nog correct
Taryn says
What part is not correct? I use a conversion calculator.
Sabrina says
3/4 cup almond flour is not 28 grams. That should be 84 grams. The 1/2 cup Butter should be 112 grams instead of 56. I am from Holland and we use metric measurements.
Taryn says
I just reran my conversion calculator and the right measurements came up this time. I'm not sure what happened before. Sorry about that!
Donica says
So, if I use Swerve or Monkfruit, how much do I use for the caramel sauce?
Taryn says
I would try using 1.5 times the amount listed but I'm not 100% sure those would work to make the caramel sauce. I think they would but caramel can be tricky.