We all have favorites that we love to eat and make during the holidays. This is one of my all time favorites. It is great tasting and very easy to put together. Just what we all need this time of the year. There is one problem. It is very hard just to eat one square!! I made these last night and found myself having a cup of coffee with two of these sweet morsels.
Looking at the recipe last night I could not believe how long I had been making them. I got the recipe one Thanksgiving at my Dad’s. My step mother always made them for Christmas. On the back of the recipe I had written sizes of my nephews 2T and size 8 so that I could pick them up a couple of things for Christmas. They are both young men now. One in his last year of residency and the other is running a farm! Time flies!!!
So here is a family favorite that I want to share with you. They are made just like the Chocolate Magic Bars, but the taste is so different. The sugar in the candied fruits makes them so moist and chewy. The colors as you can see are perfect for the holiday. So give these a try. They only take about 15 minutes to put together and another 30 to bake. And they will be a pleasure to all!!
Here’s what you need!
Melt 1 stick of butter while oven is preheating.
Graham cracker crumbs
Add crumbs to melted butter and press down your hand or a glass
I used a new pan and think that I should have pressed the crumbs in the pan more. Make sure that you press firmly with your hand or use the bottom of a glass.
Sprinkle with about a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts
Add 1 cup of candied cherries and pineapple cut in small pieces
I think I used a little more than a cup here. A tip for cutting up the fruit just leave fruit in the container and used kitchen shears to chop the fruit in small pieces. Sticky!!!
Add 3 1/2 oz. can flaked coconut or 1 1/3 cups
Pour can of Eagle Brand milk on top and spread
Bake in a moderate oven 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Cut into bars.
Ready to cut
Ready to enjoy!
Magic Fruit Bars
- 1 stick of butter melted in 9 x 13 inch pan
- 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups of candied cherries and pineapple chopped
- 1 1/3 cups of flaked coconut (3 1/2 oz. can)
- 15 oz. can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9 x 13 in. pan. Prink crumbs evenly over melted butter. Press down with fingers or glass bottom. Scatter with nuts and fruit. Sprinkle with coconut. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over coconut. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Cook in pan 15 minutes. Cut into bars. Make about 2 dozen 1 1/2 in. by 3 in. bars.
Enjoy,
The Teacher Cooks
The Teacher Cooks 
I like that these are easy. This time of the year is already so crammed with cooking projects it’s a welcome relief to be able to throw something together quickly that tastes fabulous.
Looks alot like Christmas!
it looks yummy !
p.s. ill miss your class. :p
I will miss you, too. I will need some help. Come by!
this looks very good! i would like to try and cook this one day.
THIS LOOK VERY INTERESTING B/C I NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS. OK I HAVE A QUESTION WHY DO YOU CALL IT CANDIED FRUIT MAGIC BARS? LIKE WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?
I learned you can mash the butter and crumbs with a glass or your hand.
i learned that the sugar in the candied fruit makes them moist and chewy
I learned that it looks like gummy bears on the recipes.
I would’nt have thought to put butter in the bottom of the pan first before sprinkling the crumbs before.
I learned that the sugar in the candied fruits makes them chewy & that they make it look prettier too because of the colors!
I didn’t know that you could buy candied pineapples or cherries.
i learned that the sugar makes it moist and chewy.
I think these would be really good except i dont like coconut so could i make these with out coconut or substitute it?
I learned that the sugar in the candied fruit makes them moist and chewy, I also didn’t know you could candy fruit.
I learned a good tip for cutting up the fruit is to just leave the fruit in the container and use kitchen shears to cut the fruit into small pieces.
I didnt know that toasting the nuts would make any kind of difference in the taste.
This looks really good. Had no idea there was such thing as a candied fruit.
I like the idea of smashing the crumbs down with the bottom of a glass instead of your hands!
I learned that the candied fruit is very sticky and if you aren’t carful they will take advantage of you and make your hands feel like they have been slathered by a cup of maple syrup.
I didn’t know that you could use butter to make a crust .
Could you put candy berries in this instead of cherrys and pineapples?
I learned that you can use kitchen shears to cut up the candy.
this recipe looks very easy.
the only thing is i don’t like coconut very much but this looks like a great holiday dish.
I learned that the sugar makes the bars moist and chewy
I learned that sugar will make bars chewy
I learned that the sugar in the candied fruit makes them chewy and moist.
I didn’t know you could find candied cherries and pineapples.
I learned that the sugar makes them moist and chewy.
Those look like gummy bears. Could you use gummy bears insted?
I’ve never heard of candied fruits! looks yummy! Sounds like it’s easy to make 🙂
i learned that the sugar makes the candy chewy
I learned that it takes no time at all to make the yummy bars!
I learned that kitchen shears are helpful when cutting candy
These looks good to make it doesnt take must to make this
why are thay diff. colors.
I learned sugar makes the bars moist.
I learned that you really need to mash down the graham crumbs or they won’t cook right.
this looks really good and i didnt know they made candy cherrys and pineapples.
i learned that you can use butter to make you own crust
i learned that sugar made the bars more chewy and more moist!
I didn’t know there was such thing as candied fruit
looking at the bars i would have though that when you added the coconut that it would look more like a icing but it looks more liked a baked colorful cooked
I learned that the sugar in the bars make them chewy.
I love that this recipe has a colorful artistic look to it.
I learned that you could put mash the crumbs and butter with your hand or a glass.
I learned that sugared candy makes it chewy.