Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – A layer of salted caramel sauce is sandwiched between layers of a favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, then topped with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.
Over the last handful of years, I’ve become completely obsessed with salted caramel.
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 never gravitated to caramel sauce as a topping option, sticking with hot fudge as my old standby. Perhaps it was because I never had great caramel sauce, and it always seemed sickeningly sweet to me. However, once I tried my hand at a homemade salted caramel sauce, I did a complete 180.
Now, combine salty caramel with a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and you have something I absolutely, positively cannot stop eating.
How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
In this particular instance, I adapted one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes into bars, added a layer of salted caramel sauce in the middle, and then sprinkled the top with more flaked sea salt, just for good measure.
Kudos to Maria over at Two Peas and Their Pod for creating such an amazing concoction. She really is the cookie queen!
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These salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars are incredibly easy to throw together, thanks to a shortcut caramel sauce.
If you’d prefer to use a homemade salted caramel sauce, that will definitely work! Just make sure you let it thicken up a bit, and then use enough for a thin layer over the cookie dough.
These set up and keep for me perfectly at room temperature, but if your house or kitchen is a little on the warm side, you may need to pop them in the refrigerator to allow the caramel layer to set and to keep them from getting too messy once you cut and store them.
And on that note, these are an excellent candidate for freezing. I would just cut them, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then pop them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. I need to get a batch in my freezer for upcoming nights on the couch snuggling a newborn and Netflix-ing!
If you love chocolate chip cookies, caramel sauce, and sweet and salty combinations, you absolutely, positively have to make these salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars. They will become one of your favorite desserts (or snacks, or breakfast *ahem*).
Enjoy!!
One year ago: White Chocolate-Coconut Brownies
Two years ago: Oven-Fried Onion Rings with Dipping Sauce
Five years ago: Maple-Hazelnut Oatmeal
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ cups (265.63 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) caramel candy squares, unwrapped
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- Fleur de sel, or other sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan and line with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 about ½ inch around the border. Sprinkle the caramel with 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.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool 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 for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on February 22, 2012.
I just woke up from a nap (I’ve been lucky today) to find these amazing bars, I want them so bad now!!! They look amazing!
Oh yum! I cannot wait to make these!
I have been obsessing about salted caramel lately too (I just made salted caramel pot de creme and it was heavenly). These cookie bars are making my mouth water! Definitely going on my to-do list :)
These bars are everything I love all mixed together making one pan of baked heaven. I can’t wait to make them!
These look fantastic! It is just mean of you to post something so yummy looking on a day when I am supposed to be fasting! Couldn’t you have posted something like pureed liver and Brussels sprouts? ;)
I am drooling!! oh my gosh!
I will definitely make these. Can I double the recipe with the same success? If so, what size pan would you recommend? LOVE your recipes!
Hi Jeri, I think doubling the recipe would be fine; I would use a 9×13-inch pan. Enjoy!
I doubled the recipe and put it in two pans. They are delicious.
You might not want to double the caramel. It seemed like a lot but I’m not a huge caramel fan. I am a HUGE fan of these bars though.
I agree that if you double the recipe you shouldn’t doulble the Carmel. I doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Delicious but very gooey. Too much Carmel… never thought I’d say that!
Caramel, cookies, you can’t go wrong! They look so gooey and delicious!
Delicious!
I’ve been on a salted caramel kick too! I”ve been buying the sugar free syrup and making lattes with them everyday, and I even order them at Starbucks, but none of that comapres to your cookie bars. They look unbelievable!!! Bookmarking this recipe!!
My daughter made these yesterday and they are wonderful! Look just like the picture. Thanks for sharing.
I am so glad you liked the bars! One of our favorites!
Ummmm….wow! That’s all I could say through the drool.
Mmmmm, caramel–my favorite!
I have been on a salted caramel kick this year big time. There is something otherworldly about it. I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s best friend’s face when I ordered a salted caramel cocoa and the woman who made it for me picked up a big shaker of sea salt and shook it right over the top of my whipped cream. He just.. doesn’t understand.
One word: YES. Ok two: YES, PLEASE!
I love everything caramel, these bars look divine!!!
These sound so yummy! Love this idea!
I really need to jump on the salted caramel bandwagon! I’ve never tried it before, but just the thought of it sends me dizzy. Recipe sounds great, as always!
oh wow, do these look good!! I can’t wait to try them. Also, random, but I wanted to let you know that I was home (in butler, PA) last weekend and my mom had saved something out of the paper to show me – and it was you, in the paper! My mom asked if I knew you (she’s all into food blog stuff now) and I said we hadn’t met, but I feel like I know you since I read your blog/talk to you on twitter. How fun – congratulations!
Oh how fun!! Next time you’ll be in town give me a holler and maybe we can grab lunch!
Mmmmm, that sounds fantastic! I love salted caramel, it should be such a nice contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate. :)
Wow they look sensational. I’m not a lover of caramel on its own but with salt and chocolate its just transfored. These cookie bars look so good
All I can say is, yes please!
I don’t think there is anything else you can put in there that will make it more awesome..
Salted caramel?! I DIE.
I can’t tell you how much I want one of those bars right now!
I am 100% with you on the salted caramel addiction…it runs rampant in our family…french husband is a bonified freak regarding said caramel…Question…by wrapped caramels..do you mean Kraft caramels…could I use soft-looking caramels that I see in the candy aisles in France instead?..I can’t seem to locate Kraft caramels…even in the ex-pat stores nearby…will it damage the integrity of your recipe?! So enjoying your well-crafted/organised blog…
Hi Donna, Kraft and Brachs are the most popular here in the U.S. but I think you could certainly use soft caramels, as you’ll be melting them down anyway.
Salt and sweet…count me in for sure! Looks delicious.
I just posted caramel bars yesterday. I love caramel. Love love love it and yours look awesome!
I’m 100% in the same boat with salted caramel – you cannot go wrong with it! These might have to be made asap over here…