Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Large bars
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are irresistibly soft, chewy and moist with gooey caramel centers! Enjoy with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Large bars
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Mixture
- 11 oz. soft caramels unwrapped
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes we like Maldon brand
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray.
- Beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer 1-2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and cream on high speed for another 5 minutes.
- Mix together the flour, 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt, and baking soda in a small bowl.
- Add to the creamed mixture and beat just until it is combined.
- Add in 2 cups of chocolate chips and beat for a few seconds to distribute them evenly in the dough.
- Place the dough into the refrigerator whilst preparing the caramel sauce (this will firm the dough sufficiently to make it easier to press into the pan).
- Unwrap the caramel candies and place them in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Pour sweetened condensed milk over the caramels. Heat over medium low, stirring frequently until they are fully melted and the mixture is smooth (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Add 1⁄2 teaspoon of sea salt flakes and stir into the caramel mixture.
- Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of a prepared 9x13 pan. If the dough is too sticky, use a spatula or a sheet of plastic wrap to press down the cookie dough layer.
- Spread the caramel mixture in an even layer over the cookie dough base.
- Crumble the other half of the cookie dough mixture and sprinkle small pieces of dough over the caramel layer, covering most of the surface.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the center of the cookie dough is set.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with another 1⁄2-1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes.
- Cool completely, then cut into rectangular bars or squares.
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Notes
- Sea salt flakes are great for providing a contrasting taste to the sweetness of the cookie bar dough. If you don’t have sea salt flakes, simply add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt to the caramel mixture (or more to taste) and skip the salt over the top of the baked bars.
- Pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough is a convenient alternative. If you decide to go that route, you will most likely need two large rolls of dough to fill the 9x13-inch pan.
- Using store-bought caramel sauce in place of melting caramel candies is another convenient option. You may still want to heat the store-bought sauce with the condensed milk to achieve ultra-creamy and smooth caramel. If you make homemade caramel sauce, stir in ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt; cook the caramel until it is thick so that it creates that definitive layer in the middle of the cookie bars.
- Chilling the cookie dough has many benefits. The chilled dough is easier to press into the pan. It also helps to create soft and chewy cookie bars that will rise sufficiently while baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 755kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 416mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 81g | Vitamin A: 627IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 3mg
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