Oven-Baked 4-Ingredient Graham Cracker Dessert Bars

These graham cracker dessert bars make an amazing last minute dessert because they can be made with just a few simple ingredients found right in your pantry. The combination of the sweetened condensed milk transforming to create a chewy, caramel-like texture, paired with the crunch of the graham crackers and richness of the chocolate chips is truly magic.

My family requests these dessert bars every single week and I am happy to oblige due to the ease of cleanup. In addition to being a wonderful option for last-minute bake sales, these also provide an excellent treat for those long movie nights.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Only requires 4 simple ingredients which are common to find in your pantry. 
• No additional special equipment, such as a mixer bowl, etc., is necessary. 
• Creates a very soft, chewy and almost candy-like texture. 
• Remains good at room temperature for many days. 
• Super easy to modify with other types of chips or nuts to suit your preferences.

Ingredients You Need

To make these, all you need is a handful of simple baking items. Below are the items you should obtain from your pantry prior to getting started.

• Graham crackers: We use whole sheets for the crunchy bottom and middle layers, and crush the remaining sheets for the topping!
• Unsalted butter: When melted, the butter provides a rich flavor to our dessert bar, while also creating a softened bottom cracker layer. 
• Chocolate chips: Using semi-sweet chocolate chips is best, as it balances out the sweetness of the other two main ingredients (sweetened condensed milk & graham crackers). 
• Sweetened condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk is the “magic” ingredient that combines to produce a gooey and caramel-like topping when baked in the oven.

How to Make It

Now that we know how to make these fantastic dessert bars quickly, here is how you do it:

Prep your pan

First things first, turn your oven up to 350°F. Grease the inside of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Alternatively, if you prefer less mess, you may simply place some parchment paper down at the bottom of the greased baking dish. Now that everything is ready for baking, let us start assembling the dessert bars!

Build the base layer

Take six whole graham cracker sheets and lay them flat down across the bottom of your prepared baking dish. If there is any gap left in one corner where you didn’t fit a full sheet, don’t worry; you may easily snap off a little part of another sheet to finish filling that area.

Add butter and chocolate

Next, drizzle the melted butter as evenly as possible over your bottom layer of graham crackers. Following that, sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly across the top of the butter.

Top and pour

Finally, take remaining graham cracker sheets and lay each one flat on top of your chocolate chip layer. Finally, slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top layer of graham crackers and spread it evenly to ensure even coverage.

Bake until golden

When done correctly, after about 25 – 30 minutes in your oven when the top starts to slightly darken and bubbles begin forming around the edges of your baking dish, remove the dessert bar and let it cool on a wire rack.

Slice and serve

When fully cooled, cut the dessert into neat squares. If you want the cleanest cuts possible, chill the pan in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before cutting.

Tips for the Best Results

• Glass bakeware will allow you to see when the edges turn perfectly golden brown.
• Do not hurry your cooling down – the bars need full time to set so they don’t break-apart while you are trying to slice them.
• If you would like to make a different flavor bar try substituting semisweet chocolate with butterscotch or peanut butter chips!
• Parchment paper with an edge gives you an opportunity to easily slide the bars onto a clean cutting board for a nice smooth slice.
• A small amount of flaky sea salt sprinkled on top of each bar as soon as they come out of the oven will be able to cut through all the sweetness!.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Once cooled, place bars in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: Place wrapped individually in plastic wrap in a freezer-safe bag and store frozen for up to 2 months.
• Reheat: The best way to enjoy these bars is at room temperature, however, if you prefer them slightly melty from the microwave, simply nuke a single bar for approximately 5 seconds.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with cold milk.
• Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea (hot).
• Top a warmed bar with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
• Pair with fresh raspberries or strawberries to counteract the richness of the dessert.

Oven-Baked 4-Ingredient Graham Cracker Dessert Bars

Jennifer

This Oven-Baked 4-Ingredient Graham Cracker Dessert Bars recipe is an easy sweet treat with simple ingredients and a rich, satisfying texture—perfect for holiday desserts, potlucks, parties, bake sales, and quick homemade snacks.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 16 bars

Equipment

• 9×13-inch glass baking dish

Ingredients

  

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• 20 whole sheets graham crackers
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz can

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease lightly a 9×13 inch glass baking dish, or line it with parchment paper.
• Arrange six whole graham cracker sheets flat in one single layer along the bottom of the baking dish.
• Drizzle melted butter evenly over the graham crackers, followed by sprinkling most of the chocolate chips (reserve a small handful for the topping) evenly across the graham crackers.
• On top of the first layer, lay six additional graham cracker sheets to create another layer.
• Slowly drizzle sweetened condensed milk over the second layer of graham crackers, attempting to cover all of them equally well.
• Crush the remaining graham cracker sheets into crumbs. Evenly sprinkle the crumbs and the reserved chocolate chips over the wet condensed milk layer. The milk will bubble up during baking and bind the crumbs and chips together to create a beautifully textured topping.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top has light golden hue and edges have begun to bubble.
• Allow the pan to cool completely prior to slicing into sixteen equal-sized bars.

*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you’re using with each recipe.

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