Pink Magic Bars

Chewy, sweet, and cute as can be, Pink Magic Bars are the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day, baby showers, Easter, and any day in between!

I have a HUGE sweet tooth…I mean HUGE. There is almost always some kind of baked good in my house. I especially love making desserts for parties. When I’m planning a party I usually reach for one of my two favorite recipes.

It’s usually either my banana pudding recipe because it’s so easy to make OR these delicious Pink Magic Bars. I love magic bars because they are unique, delicious, and definitely a crowd-pleaser. These magic bars with cake mix are the perfect dessert to make for Valentine’s Day this year!

PINK VELVET MAGIC BARS
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Valentine’s Day is certainly going to look much different than it usually does this year thanks to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. It’s crazy to think that this time last year we were living life as usual. You know, going out on date nights, running around with the kids at playgrounds. Ahhh I miss that life.

So, maybe date night with my hubby at our favorite restaurant and my kids’ traditional valentines exchange at school might not be happening. Well, I’m not about to let some crummy germs ruin my Valentine’s Day. So I went deep into my archives of pink and red themed treats and started planning a Valentine Stay-cation with my family. We’ll be baking, doing crafts, making our own fancy dinner, and just enjoying the time we have to spend together as a family.

I knew that we absolutely HAD to make these adorable, scrumptious magic bars with cake mix. I love this recipe because it is totally kid-friendly. My boys devour these magic bars AND they love to help bake them! This simple recipe is so perfect for Valentine’s Day, for welcoming spring, any little girls baby shower or birthday party, Easter…the list goes on and on!

Cake Mix Magic Bar Ingredients

Pink Cake Mix – every year around February stores start carrying pink everything. Did you know you needed pink ketchup? I wasn’t aware. Anyway, one of the great things that pop up around February is boxed Pink Velvet cake mix.

If you’re not making this magic bars recipe in February, don’t fret. You can absolutely swap out red velvet cake mix or strawberry cake mix! Both give great color and a great flavor to your magic bars!

I make strawberry magic bars all the time and add a little pink food coloring for that bright color pop.

Mix-ins –  the best thing about magic cookie bars are the fun toppings that give magic bars their quintessential texture. For these yummy magic bars with cake mix we chose to use shaved coconut, snowcap candies, white chocolate chips,  and strawberry ice cream topping. YUM! You could add chopped nuts or graham crackers crumbs too!

Sweetened Condensed Milk – the “magic” ingredient in any magic bars recipe is a can of sweetened condensed milk. Just an easy pour of condensed milk over your prepped magic bars makes these sweet desserts even sweeter and more delicious!

How to Make Magic Bars

Like I mentioned earlier, this recipe is SUPER kid-friendly. Kids love prepping and eating magic cookie bars, so grab your little sous chefs and get to work!

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix and butter until crumbly.
3. Next, add the egg and vanilla and mix completely. Don’t worry, the dough will be thick. Remember, we’re not making a cake here, we’re making magic bars, you want your dough thick!
4. Once your dough is prepped, press it into the prepared pan.
5. Now for the fun part! Pour your strawberry topping over the cake mix dough. Sprinkle with the coconut, white chocolate chips, and snowcap candies – isn’t it so PRETTY?!?!
6. Next, pour the sweetened condensed milk over everything. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, the milk will spread as it bakes making the best magic bars ever!
7. Bake your magic cookie bars for 35 minutes.
8. Let your cookie bars cool completely and then cut them into squares.

Do Magic Bars Need to be Refrigerated?

Even though these pink magic bars are made with sweetened condensed milk, you do NOT need to refrigerate them after baking. Magic bars will last perfectly at room temperature (in an air-tight container) for up to 3 days.

If you’re not going to eat the entire batch before 3 days are up, you have WAY more self-control than I do. Go ahead and put them on some parchment paper in a freezer bag. Then pop them in the freezer to make them last longer!

What Do You Use Sweetened Condensed Milk For?

Sweetened condensed milk is kind of an odd ingredient… it’s syrupy, sweet, and definitely sticky. There are actually tons of recipes that call for sweetened condensed milk. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Salted Pretzel & Caramel Fudge – fudge is one of the most common ways that people use sweetened condensed milk. I adore the salty crunch of this yummy fudge recipe!

Better than Sex Cake – if you like the simplicity of this magic bars recipe, you’ll LOVE this Better than Sex cake recipe. With a sweetened condensed milk pour, just like magic bars, BTS cake is simply scrumptious!

Cucumber Mint Mojitos – you might be saying “condensed milk in my COCKTAIL?! No way.” But believe me when I say that these cucumber mint mojitos are perfection in a glass!

Looking for some more Valentine’s Day recipes to whip up for your loved ones?

• Chocolate Cake Mix Bars
• Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
• Red Velvet Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
• Strawberry Jello Cake
• more DESSERT recipes…

Tools used to make this Pink Magic Bars recipe

Stand Mixer: My stand mixer is definitely one of my most utilized kitchen appliances. Whether I’m making homemade pizza dough or a simple recipe like pink velvet magic bars, I always use my mixer!

Glass Baking Dish: I love this baking dish for so many reasons, but mostly because it comes with a top! You can bake your magic bars in it and then use it as your air-tight container to store them in!

*This post originally posted on 02/11/2015.