Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
This salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bar recipe is an extra tasty and indulgent treat. A layer of creamy salted caramel sandwiched between chocolate chip cookies creates a bar that’s worthy of a dream dessert status.
If you like chocolate chip cookie bars, this is a way to level them up with creamy caramel, rich dark chocolate, and a hint of salt to enhance all the flavors.
Delicious Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Traditional cookies are great, but cookie bars are something else. It feels a little more like eating a brownie, but with our favorite cookie flavors. If you like a salty sweet flavor combo in your desserts, these gooey salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars are for you.
This salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars recipe reminds me of the Smoosh Cookies I posted a while back. I’m still not sure if the spelling is smoosh or smush, but it’s a fun and tasty dessert to make!
The concept is the same, but that recipe uses a roll of cookie dough from the store. If you’re short on time, you could probably get away with using pre-made dough in this recipe, too.
Salted Caramel Bars Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this cookie bar recipe. The measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Dark chocolate chips
- Heavy whipping cream
Salted Caramel Cookie Bars Directions
Step One: Make the Salted Caramel
To make the salted caramel, add the sugar to a small saucepan. Let the sugar melt slowly over medium-low heat, stirring every 20-30 seconds. It will caramelize into chunks at first, then smooth out to a liquid.
Once the mixture is melted and smooth, remove it from the heat at once and stir in the butter.
Add the heavy cream and salt and stir until incorporated. Transfer the caramel to a bowl and let it cool while you make the cookie bars.
Step Two: Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Get a large mixing bowl and add the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Cream it all together using a stand or hand mixer on medium speed.
Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing each one as you add them.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt to the mixture. Continue to mix at low speed until it’s all combined.
Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
Press half of the cookie dough into your baking pan. Be sure to press it into an even layer. Save the rest of the dough for another layer later.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Once that layer of cookies is done baking, pour the cooled salted caramel over the top.
Use a spatula to spread the caramel evenly over the entire surface of the cookie bar.
Use the rest of the cookie dough to create the top layer by scooping a ball of dough into your hands, flattening it, and gently placing it over the caramel layer.
Some caramel might seep through the top layer of dough, and that is okay.
Bake for an additional 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Let the cookie bar cool completely before slicing and serving.
For an extra delicious treat, serve a cookie bar fresh out of the oven while it’s still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Actual dessert heaven!
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Recipe Notes and FAQ
How can I make these bars even more caramel-y?
Can’t get enough caramel? Feel free to 1.5x the caramel recipe to add extra as a topping after the bars are fully baked.
Can I add nuts to these cookie bars?
Chopped pecans go well with the flavors in this cookie bar recipe. Add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the batter when you fold in the dark chocolate chips.
Can I make these chocolate chip cookie bars gluten-free?
You can use gluten-free all-purpose flour in this recipe. Be sure to check the packages of all your other ingredients to make sure the full recipe will be gluten-free.
Salted Caramel Cookie Bars Recipe
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Ingredients
Salted Caramel Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar granulated
- 6 tbsp butter unsalted, room temperature
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp sea salt
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup sugar granulated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large egg room temperature
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- To make the salted caramel: Place sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.1 cup sugar
- Slowly melt the sugar, stirring every 20-30 seconds until it caramelizes into chunks and eventually becomes a smooth liquid.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter.6 tbsp butter
- Add heavy cream and salt, stirring until well combined.½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp sea salt
- Transfer the caramel to a bowl and let it cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×13” baking dish and set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract using a hand-held mixer on medium speed.1 cup butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until fully incorporated.2 large egg
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt to the batter, mixing on low speed until just combined.2 ¼ cup flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp sea salt
- Stir in the chocolate chips.2 cup dark chocolate chips
- Divide the cookie dough in half. Press one half into an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Spread the cooled salted caramel over the baked cookie dough layer, using a spatula to smooth it out.
- Use the remaining cookie dough to form a top layer by shaping balls of dough in your hands and placing them over the caramel layer. Some caramel may peek through the top layer of cookie dough.
- Bake for an additional 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the bars cool before slicing and serving.
Notes
- For an extra indulgent dessert, serve the bars warm and fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- If you want extra caramel to top the bars, consider making 1.5 times the amount called for in the recipe.
- Feel free to stir in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the batter for added crunch and flavor.
- This recipe can be easily adapted for gluten-free diets by using gluten-free flour.
Nutrition
Chocolate Caramel Desserts
- Chocolate caramel pretzel cookies
- Chocolate caramel dessert recipe roundup
- Chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting
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Please let me know if you try these salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars. I’d love to hear how they turned out for you!
Oh my gosh! THIS! THIS recipe looks amazing and makes me want to try it pronto! But I won’t because I would eat the entire batch of yummies and put myself into a hypoglycemic coma. I wonder if it’s possible to make a version of this that would be good for me? Probably not, that’s why it’s so GOOD. 🤣💚
Haha! We could probably get some kind of healthIER version. Maybe that should be a 2024 goal. 😉