The Hands-Down Best Baked Good From Aldi Is A Layered Work Of Art

Magic bars, Hello Dollies, seven-layer bars. In this case, if you've had one, you've literally had them all, as they're all names for the same gooey-and-delicious bar cookie. And, if you've had one, you may be unsurprised that this treat topped Chowhound's ranked list of Aldi baked goods. The list includes everything from danishes to donuts, cakes and cookies, with some real standouts. But the ultimate winner was Aldi's 7-Layer Dessert Bar. These may be more of a seasonal item, so if you see them on the shelves, don't wait to give them a try.

Chowhound appreciated that Aldi's seven-layer bar was packed with flavor and interesting texture contrasts. The bars start with a graham cracker crust, which is topped with crunchy pecans, coconut flakes, and both chocolate and butterscotch chips. And of course, it wouldn't be a seven-layer bar without a thorough drizzle of sweetened-condensed milk. Somehow, all the different flavors work together harmoniously, creating a dessert that is both satisfying and slightly addictive. The package comes with nine small squares, so they would be a nicely sized addition to your next cookie tray — or you could cut them on the diagonal for an even more bite-sized option.

Aldi's seven-layer bars come with butterscotch chips, but while these are fairly common in seven-layer bar recipes, they aren't a given. Chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, sweetened-condensed milk and the graham cracker crust are fairly universally standard, though Aldi's bar uses pecans, and other recipes may call for walnuts. If you're making your own, you can customize in a variety of ways, from swapping out the graham cracker crumbs for crushed Biscoff cookies, adding pretzels, dried fruit, white chocolate, etc. Some recipes may even ditch the graham cracker layer in favor of a brownie bottom.

The good news is, if you're a fan of Aldi's seven-layer bar but can't find them in stock at your local store, these bars are known for being quick and easy to make at home. It really just involves making a graham cracker crust (crumbs and melted butter), then layering the sweetened-condensed milk and other toppings of your choice over that. Including the bake time of about 30 minutes, the whole dessert comes together in well under an hour — just be sure to leave some cooling time.