Chewy Bars
If you’ve been on the hunt for a delicious dessert recipe made without eggs, flour, or sugar, then you’ll love these Chewy Bars! They’re made with sweetened condensed milk, which gives them an incredibly sticky and satisfying texture without the need for extra ingredients. That’s right, the condensed milk binds everything together beautifully (and saves you tons of time!).
Although the condensed milk is the star of the show, you get plenty of texture in this recipe from the graham cracker crumbs. Oh, and did I mention the generous serving of milk and butterscotch chips that add glorious crunch and sweetness? Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Perfect for potlucks, holiday gatherings, and game nights, these sinfully chewy bars will have you reaching for seconds, thirds, and fourths. They’re that good!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They contain no flour and are easy to whip up at the last minute, as the recipe is packed with pantry staples.
- The sweetened condensed milk gives the bars a gloriously chewy and sticky texture, perfect for dessert.
- They store well and are ideal for packed lunches and snack attacks.
- There’s virtually no prep work as everything just needs to be mixed and baked!
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
- Graham cracker crumbs: I like using regular graham cracker crumbs, but you can replace these with Golden Oreos for a slightly different flavor.
- Sweetened condensed milk: The key ingredient in these chewy bars! This binds the entire recipe together and gives the bars a sweet flavor and sticky texture.
- Sunflower seeds: For a hint of crunch.
- Milk chocolate chips: You’ll want to use some chocolate chips in the batter and reserve ¼ cup for topping your bars. I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate chips if you want something slightly less sweet than milk chocolate.
- Butterscotch chips: To give your bars a caramel-like taste that pairs perfectly with the chocolate.
How to Make Chewy Bars
- Step One: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Step Two: In a large bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, sunflower seeds, milk chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.
- Step Three: Spread the mix into a prepared pan.
- Step Four: Top the mixture with ¼ cup each of milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.
- Step Five: Bake for 25 minutes.
- Step Six: Let everything cool before cutting the baked mixture into bars.
What to Serve with Them
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t overbake your bars. I recommend leaving them in the oven for 25 minutes. Any longer, and they might become too dense and hard. If they’re just slightly gooey when they come out of the oven, they should harden up as they cool.
- Remember to reserve chocolate chips for topping. Although you can technically make these bars without the chocolate chip topping, you’ll want to make sure you have ¼ cups of each type saved, as it makes all the difference texture-wise!
Variations and Substitutions
- You can use virtually any type of chocolate to make these bars. If you’re feeling slightly different, swap out the milk chocolate for white, dark, or semi-sweet chips!
- If you’re not a fan of sunflower seeds, you can replace them with similar seeds like pumpkin, chia seeds, or flax seeds. Remember that chia seeds can soak up moisture, so you must use them sparingly.
Storage Instructions
These chewy bars will stay delicious in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
I recommend storing them in the fridge as the chocolate on top can melt if it gets too hot.
Bring them to room temperature by leaving them out for a few minutes before eating.
Can I Freeze?
You can absolutely freeze these chewy bars!
I usually make a few batches at a time and store them in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to three months.
Just remember to take your bars out of the freezer the night before you eat them (it gives them time to defrost!).
Bar Recipes
Looking for more bar recipes to bake this holiday season? Check out these recipes:
- Mud Hen Bars
- Sour Cream Raisin Bars
- Fudge Nut Bars
- Penuche Squares
- Pecan Cake Bars
- Chocolate Surprise Bars
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
Chewy Bars
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 300ml can
- ¾ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips + ¼ cup for topping
- ½ cup butterscotch chips + ¼ cup for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, sunflower seeds, ½ cup milk chocolate chips and ½ cup butterscotch chips. Spread into prepared pan.
- Top with ¼ cup each of milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see it! Make sure to share it on your favorite social platform.
Want Even More Recipes?
Join Moms Best Recipes to find more delicious family recipes.
free ebook!
The Best of Simply Stacie
When you subscribe to the newsletter for the latest updates!
Your Chewy Bars look fabulous, we will love them! We really appreciate you sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a great day!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
This recipe sounds wonderful have a question could you use Oreo cookie crumbs to replace gramb crackers? Thank you
Yes, you can. I used them in this recipe here: https://www.simplystacie.net/2016/12/chocolate-chewy-bars/
A whole lot of delicious things start with sweetened condensed milk. Hooray for these not having nuts, as my son is allergic. Thanks for the delicious recipe and great photos.
These look like something so delicious that I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them. But that’s okay, it’s the Christmas season, right? Pinned and recipe printed!
Hi Stacie, What a rich-looking bar cookie! Like the sunflower seeds, too! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Blessings, Janet
I can’t wait to try these they sure look tasty !
Oooh! These sound super yummmy too! Your sight is dangerous.. dangerously good. Pinned.
Great recipe! I’m loving all the ingredients! Stopping by from the Create and Crave party.
They look yummy – another great recipe to try for Christmas.
Do you think this would work with sweetened condensed coconut milk as well? Either way, a very simple recipe that is easy to customize to your tastes. Thanks for sharing.
I’m not sure, but I think it would work too? I’ve never used sweetened condensed coconut milk, but it sounds tasty!
Will these turn out as good if I omit the sunflower seeds & only use the 2 flavors of chips instead?
Yes, it will still work. The main thing is that you keep the sweetened condensed milk and graham cracker crumbs. You can substitute with whatever flavours of chips you want and even add nuts and raisins.
I tried the bars they tasted great
One word…deliciousÂ
Wow, these sound good and easy to make! Will have to make up a batch!
These look delicious! I love squares!!
These look great. I love bars that are easy to whip up and bake.
OMG,my mouth is watering,i can’t wait to try these.
Oh, YUM! I love these Chewy bars. They look so delicious and a nice bar to bring to a Holiday party. I will have to make these. They look so delicious!
I like how quick and easy these are great for putting out when you have visitors
seriously drooling! these look amazing! and no sugar or eggs? that is absolutely wonderful. such a great snack choice i love it