Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

February 22, 2012

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I have become completely overpowered by the force that is salted caramel. I simply can’t get enough of it, no matter how it’s presented to me. Ice cream? Pass me a spoon. Popcorn, Pretzel & Peanut Bars? Hand me at least three, please. Brownies? You may as well just give me the entire pan. Growing up I was never one to swoon over caramel sauce. Maybe because I had never had great caramel sauce – mostly just the jarred or bottled sundae toppings – it always seemed sickeningly sweet to me. However, this whole salted caramel craze has me doing a completely 180. Throw in a healthy dose of coarse sea salt like fleur de sel to cut that sweetness and give sauces and baked goods an entirely new dimension? I am ALL.IN.

In this particular instance, I adapted my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and added a layer of salted caramel sauce in the middle, and then sprinkled the top with more sea salt, just for good measure. A great deal of thanks to Maria over at Two Peas and Their Pod for creating such an amazing concoction. She really is the cookie queen!

These beauties are chewy, gooey, sweet, salty, and chocolate chip-y. What more could you ask for?

One year ago: White Chocolate-Coconut Brownies
Two years ago: Oven-Fried Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
Five years ago: Maple-Hazelnut Oatmeal

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield: 16 cookie bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Fleur de sel (or other sea salt), for sprinkling over caramel and bars

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, mix together the melted butter and sugars on medium speed until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave on high until the caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes.

5. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Pour the hot caramel over the dough cookie dough and spread into an even layer, leaving some empty space around the edges. Sprinkle the caramel with the sea salt. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the caramel and gently spread the dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.

6. Bake the cookie bars for 30 minutes, or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool the bars on a wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow the caramel layer to set. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

(Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)