Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars will really be the star of every dessert table. These chewy bars are loaded with a lush, creamy caramel filling with a chewy cookie base.
These mouth watering Caramel Cookie Bars will impress anyone you share them with. Just that layer of caramel elevates classic chocolate chip bars to be rich and luxurious.
For more tasty brownie, cookie bar, and blondie recipes that everyone will love check out this brownie and blonde collection.
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What We Love About This Chewy Chocolate Chip Bar Recipe
The star of this show is the caramel. What is caramel? Find out the sweet history.
- Family Friendly: Your family will absolutely love the homemade caramel sauce.
- Adaptable: Whether you need to make a dietary adjustment or add nuts or a different type of chocolate, you can customize this recipe to be your own.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: For both the caramel sauce and cookie dough, it is important to use unsalted butter that is at room temperature otherwise it will an impact on the consistency of cookie dough bars.
- Brown Sugar: For this recipe you’ll need brown sugar, but you also easily make your own using this 2 ingredient hack.
Variations and Substitutions
- Extra Chocolate – For extra chocolatey salted caramel cookie bars, sprinkle chocolate chips over the caramel sauce before adding the remaining cooking dough on top.
- Gluten-Free – Gluten free all-purpose flour can be used successfully in this recipe in place of normal all purpose flour.
- Add Nuts – Chopped pecans go really great with the flavors in these bars. Add ½ cup to the batter when you fold in the chocolate chips.
How to Make Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
These are the basic steps for making Caramel Cookie Bars. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
STEP 1: MAKE THE SALTED CARAMEL
First add the sugar to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the sugar to slowly melt, stir every 20-30 seconds. Once the sugar has melted, remove from heat immediately and mix in the butter. Then add heavy cream and salt.
STEP 2: WET INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH
To a large mixing bowl, add butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Beat together using a hand-held mixer on medium speed. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between until incorporated.
STEP 3: ADD DRY INGREDIENTS
To the mixture add flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt to the batter. Mix on low speed with the electric mixer until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the cookie dough into an even layer in the pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, bake for 10 minutes while the oven is preheating.
STEP 4: ADD CARAMEL LAYER
Pour cooled salted caramel over the top of the baked chocolate chip cookie dough layer. Use a spatula to spread the caramel into an even layer that covers the entire surface. Use the remaining cookie dough to form a top layer by scooping a ball of dough into your hands, gently placing over the caramel layer.
STEP 5: BAKE AND SLICE BARS
Add back to the oven and bake in the prepared pan for an additional 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Prep and Storage Tips for Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
HOW TO STORE THIS RECIPE
Store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or at room temperature for 4-5 days.
HOW TO FREEZE THIS SWEETS RECIPE
These chewy chocolate chip bars freeze very well, simply wrap in plastic and foil, use an airtight container or a freezer bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Homemade caramel will in fact go bad, however it will be good for 2-3 weeks in the fridge if store properly in an airtight container.
To another lush and rich variation, try swapping the dark chocolate chips for white chocolate.
This recipe can easily be double to halved, proportionally increase or decrease ingredients. If doubling then split between two baking pans and it halving then use a 9×9 inch square pan.
Yes, blondies as technically classified a cookie bar making them the same thing.
Expert Tips for Making This Chocolate Chip Bars Recipe
- Skip Homemade Caramel: To make this recipe a slightly faster process, you can skip making the homemade caramel and substitute by adding Werther original soft caramels to the center.
- Serve with Ice Cream: These salted caramel cookie bars are great enjoyed fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Make Extra Caramel: You may even want to 1.5x the caramel recipe and add it as an extra topping.
What to Serve with Caramel Cookie Bars
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Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Start by making the salted caramel: First add the sugar to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow the sugar to slowly melt, stir every 20-30 seconds. It will begin to caramelize into chunks, and eventually smooth out into a liquid.
- Once the sugar has melted, remove from heat immediately and mix in the butter.
- Next add heavy cream and salt. Mix until fully combined.
- Transfer caramel to a bowl and allow it to cool while you make the cookie bar dough.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Beat together using a hand-held mixer on medium speed.
- Then add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between until incorporated.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt to the batter. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the dough into an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Pour cooled salted caramel over the top of the baked cookie dough layer. Use a spatula to spread the caramel into an even layer that covers the entire surface.
- Use the remaining cookie dough to form a top layer by scooping a ball of dough into your hands, flattening it and gently placing over the caramel layer. Some caramel may peak through the top layer of cookie dough.
- Bake for an additional 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Expert Tips
- Skip Homemade Caramel: To make this recipe a slightly faster process, you can skip making the homemade caramel and substitute by adding werther original soft caramels to the center.
- Serve with Ice Cream: These salted caramel cookie bars are great enjoyed fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Make Extra Caramel: You may even want to 1.5x the caramel recipe and add it as an extra topping.
