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!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
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’ve made these for a couple of preschool events and they are always such a huge hit. Thanks to your easy recipes people think I’m a super baker! Though, I never end up using all the caramel sauce…I kept the leftover covered in the fridge and I wonder if you think it would work to make caramel popcorn…???
Hi Kate, I’m not sure that would work. You typically need to pour the caramel mixture over popcorn when it’s at a certain temperature so that it “candies” onto the popcorn.
We had these with some vanilla ice cream, and I about died right there, it was so amazing. Thanks for this recipe!
These were outstanding! So richand gooey.
Want to make these for wedding gift bags but need to make in advance. How do you think they would do if I made and then froze until wedding weekend?
Hi Lisa, I think these would freeze beautifully. I wouldn’t make them more than a month in advance.
My friend and I made these over the summer and they were so amazing. Hands down the best tasting dessert I’ve ever made in my opinion. I’m making them again this weekend!
I made these for NFL football players and they went NUTS over them…so much so that I had to make them a 2nd and 3rd time! AWESOME recipe!!! Thank you for sharing…love your blog!!!
Hi! I am making these for a cookie swap tomorrow. All I could find at the store were vanilla caramel squares….will this ruin it? Should I take out the vanilla in the cookie dough to balance it? Any suggestions> Thank you so much!
Hi Nicola, I’m not familiar with vanilla caramel squares, but they should be an okay substitute. Not having tasted them and not knowing how sweet or vanilla-y they are, it’s hard for me to say for sure, but if they are very strong (sweet with a substantial vanilla flavor), then yes, you can omit the vanilla.
I put less vanilla to balance…they came delicious!! Just wanted to tell you I won a baking contest at work with them!! Thank you!!
That’s awesome!!! Congratulations!
Hi, I was wondering what size pan for this recipe? I’m thinking of making them for Christmas.
Hi Sofia, Per step #1 in the recipe, you need a 9×9-inch square pan.
I made these today & they are as rich and yummy as you’d imagine. I opted to sub a jar of Mrs Richardson’s butterscotch caramel fudge in place of the cream and caramels & it worked out very good! Thanks for the recipe!
Michelle-I just had to tell you that my niece won her college “St. Nick’s Baking Contest” yesterday. She asked me for a recipe idea – I told her she would DEFINITELY win if she made these bars.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing :)
I brought this to a church potluck, and everybody kept telling me how amazing it was. And it WAS amazing, but completely different from what I think it was supposed to be. The cookie part (I followed the recipe exactly) was drier than usual, but I figured maybe because it was part of a layered thing, it was supposed to be that way. Anyhow, it was more of a crumbly consistency, but great when baked. I was worried it wouldn’t stick together when finished, but it was fine. I didn’t have to spread it over the caramel layer, either; (which I forgot to sprinkle with salt due to the havoc wreaked by my younger siblings in the kitchen) the dough consistency was rather like thick streusel. It was surprisingly delicious, however, and I’m DEFINITELY making it again.
I don’t even know the way I stopped up right here, but I believed
this post was good. I do not recognize who you might be however certainly you’re going to a
well-known blogger should you aren’t already. Cheers!
Have made this three times now. Its great but I’ve had to cook it twenty minutes longer each time. First time was a disaster. Crunchy on top but totally raw on the inside! So…I just made another one :). Thanks for the recipe!
Completely amazing creation! I swapped half of the chocolate chips for chopped pecans as I love salted caramel and pecans together. Plus added a layer of chocolate on top for extra indulgence. Love love love this recipe x
OMG , we made these today over here in little old gloomy London Town GB .where Bland is the norm…they are positivly SINFUL, I made the salted caramel sauce from scratch ,as i couldn’t buy soft caramel squares… We LoVed these ….
Any chance you would repost salted caramel chocolate chip cookies . . but without store bought caramels? I live in NJ and have not been able to find caramels in the stores . . . you know, the caramel that comes in little squares. All they are carrying is caramel creams. I want to try this recipe for Fall.
Too lazy to make my own caramel today – and I have a couple of jars of Williams-Sonoma Salted Caramel Sauce for occasions just like this! No 9×9 pan, so they’re in an 8×8 and I’ll adjust the baking time according. In the oven as I type this…supposed to give them to friends at a hockey game tonite. Wonder if they’d notice one or two missing?
I made these for a friend’s birthday and later as a housewarming gift. They are phenomenal and worth unwrapping all of those caramels…. Seriously one of the best recipes I have, will save these for those special occasions as they are decadent.
I am making these for the 4th time this summer! They are such a hit with all our friends we go camping with. They are now known as “Jen Bars” (sorry!). We had one left over on our last trip and we had 5 people enter a talent show (of sorts) to earn the right to the last one! Thank you for sharing these amazing recipes. The photography is great and so are your commentaries. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
This was amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!
Hey! Can I make these with your salted caramel sauce recipe? How much of the sauce should I use? Have been super addicted to your site, all the recipes I tried so far are so yummy!!
Hi Krystal, I think you could! Unfortunately, I didn’t measure the sauce, but I would guess maybe about 1 cup? Just spread on a thin, even layer.
Simply the best thing I ever made. They were perfect.
Oh my gosh these look amazing, definitely going to make this for a potluck coming up. I have a quick question. Could these be assembled in advance and then refrigerated for a day before baking?
Hi Marshay, I wouldn’t do that, but you could easily assemble and bake these a day in advance. Just let them cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap until you’re ready to serve (or you cut them and wrap individual pieces).
I made them and mailed them to a friend and they took two days to get there in a plastic bag and the reviews were still incredible.
I made these and substituted the caramel in the recipe with your salted caramel sauce. And I must say….goodness! Than.k you for this.
This recipe looks delicious. I don’t have the caramel candies here in Australia that you mention. I am wondering if I could use something like this instead, mixed with the cream:- http://www.nestleprofessional.com/australia/en/BrandsAndProducts/Brands/NESTLE_MILKS/Pages/Top_and_Fill_380g.aspx?UrlReferrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.google.com%2fimgres%3fsa%3dX%26biw%3d1920%26bih%3d947%26tbm%3disch%26tbnid%3dIHhxlMp9rCg2uM%3a%26imgrefurl%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.nestleprofessional.com%2faustralia%2fen%2fBrandsAndProducts%2fBrands%2fNESTLE_MILKS%2fPages%2fTop_and_Fill_380g.aspx%26docid%3dGm9Dv1lBphmniM%26imgurl%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.nestleprofessional.com%2faustralia%2fen%2fPublishingImages%2f290x160%25252520px%25252520Pack%25252520Shots%25252520Food%2fNestle%2fNestle%25252520Top%25252520n%25252520Fill%25252520380g%2525252012043936.jpg%26w%3d290%26h%3d160%26ei%3dcx3CUamcHofDkAXdnoEQ%26zoom%3d1%26ved%3d1t%3a3588%2cr%3a21%2cs%3a0%2ci%3a153%26iact%3drc%26page%3d1%26tbnh%3d128%26tbnw%3d228%26start%3d0%26ndsp%3d33%26tx%3d90%26ty%3d35
Hi Lisa, I think you could use this, no need to add cream.
These were incredible!! I would recommend waiting until the next day to serve them so the caramel has a chance to fully set. Probably the best bars I have ever had! Thanks for sharing!
These are ree-dic-u-lous. Wow. I thought about the leftover cookies all day at work. They were a huge hit at the party that I brought them to and I have since given out the recipe to 10 people. Wonderful!
I made these for a youth activity at our church, and now everyone wants the recipe.
These bars are amazing! They are chewy and rich, exactly what I was looking for.
Just curious why you don’t make your own caramel for recipes? I love caramel more than just about anything but my sons :) and dog of course.. but I just don’t like the taste of melted caramel candies. I can make caramel after years of practice but only the sauce for ice cream not the candy.. Just curious that is all. I think I will make your velvet cake this weekend because my husband wants to try it. thank you for your blog I find it inspiring and use the brownie recipe often.
Hi Kate, I used the melted candies in this cake since it was a filling and I wasn’t sure how the texture would affect the final product. You can certainly try a homemade version if you’d like.