Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Caramel
If you love caramel, these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Caramel will make you swoon. Each bite of these buttery bars is sheer bliss.
These Chocolate Caramel Bars are made by layering half a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, drizzling with a buttery caramel sauce, then topping with more cookie dough. Slightly underbaking results in soft, rich, and out of this world Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Caramel
Both of our sons join us for Sunday dinner. It’s the perfect time to test out new, more time-consuming dessert recipes. But there are days when we’re craving a decadent treat but I don’t want to spend time with scooping and baking individual pans of cookies or making a complicated dessert. That’s why I love cookie bars, and these chocolate chip cookie bars were extraordinary. Using high quality, buttery caramel sauce pushed them over the top!
How to Make Chocolate Caramel Bars
Back in 2013, I shared these chocolate chip cookie bars with my girlfriends. The gals wanted to know where I bought my chocolate, what kind of caramel sauce to use, and when the recipe would be posted. You know it’s a winner when the room grows quiet as everyone is chewing their first bite…right before the deluge of questions.
- Line your baking pan with non-stick foil. This makes for easy removal and easy cleanup!
- You can use a store-bought or homemade caramel sauce in this recipe. The key is that it must be a caramel sauce made with real butter, cream, and vanilla. That will make a world of difference. So check the labels when you’re shopping.
- I used chocolate discs instead of chips, but both work well. Semisweet chocolate is my preference, but bittersweet or even white chocolate chips would be tasty, too. If you use the discs, you won’t need the full amount.
- Also, hold back some of the chocolate to press randomly on top of the unbaked bars for a nice presentation.
- When you drizzle on the caramel, do not go all the way to the edges or it will ooze out and make the edges very sticky. Another reason to use non-stick foil!
- I like making flat disks of dough to cover the caramel. If you try to spread out the dough, the caramel layer will disperse as you spread it, and not be even. See my bars ready for the oven below. I used my easy Microwave Caramel Sauce for this recipe.
More Caramel Desserts You’ll Love:
I made these again for our summer book club gathering in our backyard. One of my friends exclaimed, “Oh, these are GOOD!” I don’t think she remembers that she was one of my first taste-testers 7 years ago! But there’s something about the chocolate and caramel combo that wins people over. Every.Single.Time.
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- Plus more tasty Bar Cookie Recipes!
This recipe was first shared in November 2013. Photos and text were updated in 2020.
The Recipe: Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Delectable buttery cookie bars with a boost from both caramel sauce and chocolate chips!
Ingredients
- 2 1/8 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
- 6 tablespoons caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with non-stick aluminum foil, to help remove bars from pan after baking.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. In a second bowl, combine the butter and both sugars, mixing until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix to completely incorporate. Add the dry ingredients and mix till combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Pat half the batter evenly in bottom of pan. Pour the caramel sauce over the cookie dough, leaving just a little space around the edges. Dollop the remaining cookie dough over the caramel. Carefully pat dough with your fingertips to distribute.The caramel will not be totally covered.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.
- Remove the pan to a wire rack. Let the bars cool completely before lifting them out of the pan and cutting into squares to serve.
Total time: 2 hours with cooling time
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 bar cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 215mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 3g
