Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Salty sweet perfection!
Texture: The cookie is soft, chewy, and slightly gooey and the caramel sandwiched in the middle is ridiculously thick and sticky in the best possible way.
Ease: Easy peasy! You don’t need a mixer and we’re cheating slightly with the caramel.
Pros: Total comfort food.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? YES. These bars are amazing with ice cream if you’re feeling particularly sinful.
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Salted Caramel Cookie Bars are the perfect salty-sweet treat – and, bonus, they are super quick and easy to make!
These bars are my new addiction. They sandwich chocolate chip cookie dough (which is already pretty much the greatest thing on the planet) with heavenly slightly salty caramel.
Are you drooling yet?
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These Cookie Bars are wonderfully decadent and indulgent – especially with a scoop of ice cream on top!
Take them to your next potluck or party for the hit dessert everyone will rave about for years to come.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
What’s the Best Pan for Salted Caramel Cookie Bars?
I tested this Salted Caramel Cookie Bars recipe using my favorite 8-inch square metal baking pan. I don’t recommend using a glass or ceramic pan, as these pans can take much longer to heat up and bake through, causing underdone middles and overbaked edges. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Avoid using a dark-colored metal pan, as these pans will heat too aggressively and can cause dry or even burnt cookie bars.
What if I Don’t Have a Metal Pan?
If you must use glass or ceramic, drop the baking temperature by about 15°F and increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
Why Are My Cookie Bars Dry?
- Incorrect measuring: If you are not measuring your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale, you could accidentally be adding too much flour, causing hard, dry, or cake-like cookie bars. Learn more about how to measure ingredients for perfect results every time here!
- Overbaking: The other reason your cookie bars could be turning out too dry or hard is likely that they’re overbaked. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown and appear set on top.
Can I Double This Salted Caramel Cookie Bars Recipe?
Yes! Double all ingredients and bake in a light-colored metal 9 by 13-inch baking pan, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
How to Store Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
Store Cookie Bars for up to 3 days at room temperature inside an airtight container. We have not tried freezing these cookie bars, so please let us know in the comments below if you give this a try!
The full Salted Caramel Cookie Bar recipe can be found on Imperial Sugar’s website!
This post was written by Tessa Arias on behalf of Imperial Sugar. All text, photos, and opinions provided are my own.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Chocolate Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Apple Crisp Cookie Bars
- Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting
- Loaded Peanut Butter Christmas Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chunk Bars
Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (125 grams) Imperial Sugar Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups (191 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 11 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch metal pan* with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine butter with sugar and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. Stir in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Add in salt and flour and stir until combined. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels and heavy cream. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until mixture is melted and smooth. Be careful not to overheat.
- Press half cookie dough evenly into prepared pan. Pour the caramel evenly over dough. Sprinkle all over with sea salt. Scoop remaining dough into spoonfuls over caramel, gently spreading until caramel is mostly covered. Sprinkle with additional sea salt.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature before chilling for 30 minutes to make bars easier to cut. Slice into large bars or squares and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I have searched but can’t find this recipe—
do you need to line them with foil? i made them for yhe second time and so delicious, however, I feel as if the foil makes it messier. Can they just be added directly into dreased pan?
I find the opposite to be true, but if you prefer no foil then go for it!
What brand of caramels did you use. I used the square ones that are a harder caramel in a recipe and they hardened up after they were baked and cold.
Hi Tessa! I’ m doing these beauties tomorrow, I have a question: there is no baking powder in the ingredients of the cookies sandwich, am I right?? Can’t wait to eat the whole bunch! Thanks!
I can’t wait to make these cookie bars! They sound and look amazing. Also, your photos are gorgeous… I can’t stop my mouth from watering! I would be honored if you checked out our conference and affiliate program. We need awesome bloggers like you! http://www.foodbloggingconference.com/become-an-affiliate/
These bars look sinfully good!! I love all of the caramel!
Oh. My. GOODNESS! Look at that caramel just trying so hard to not ooze all over the place. I can only imagine how incredible these would be with a scoop of ice cream on top.
These bars look like absolute perfection! The caramel layer just puts them on a whole new level of delicious! 🙂
— Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
I’m in the airport right now, heading for Kansas City! Excited to attend your Food Blog Success Summit tomorrow.
Excuse me while I drool. Have so much fun at Chopped!
They look delicious, I’m dreaming about them right now, trying to imagine how it would feel to eat one. I guess I’ll have to make them to know for sure.
These look absolutely incredible Tessa! I want to make them right now!!