Irresistible Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars You Need to Try
Learn how to make delicious Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Easy recipe with step-by-step instructions.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: International
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (for a nuttier flavor, try half whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch more for sprinkling on top
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (or coconut oil for a dairy-free twist)
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (Mama Lu always said, “Good vanilla is worth its weight in gold”)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chunks for more rustic bites)
- 1 cup soft caramel bits or chopped soft caramels (you can use store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal later.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt until evenly combined. When I was a kid, Mama Lu never measured with spoons—she’d just pinch the salt between her fingers and sprinkle it like magic. For us, it was always about feeling, not exactness.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars until the mixture is light, fluffy, and creamy—about 3 to 4 minutes. I like to use a wooden spoon here, the way Mama Lu did, because it just feels more connected to the process.
- Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Then stir in the vanilla extract. The batter will smell divine at this point—sweet and buttery, with that hint of vanilla that makes everything feel like home.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined. Resist the urge to overmix; you want tender bars, not tough ones.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and caramel bits, making sure they’re evenly distributed. The caramel might melt a bit in the batter, which is perfectly fine—it’s what makes these bars so decadently gooey.
- Spread the dough evenly in your prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle a few extra flakes of sea salt over the surface. This contrast between sweet and salt is a nod to those mountain flavors Mama Lu loved—simple but deeply satisfying.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The bars will firm up as they cool, so don’t wait for them to look completely done.
- Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cool, use the parchment overhang to lift them out and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares or rectangles, depending on how you like to nibble.
