Caramel Bars

Total Time Prep: 20 min. Bake: 50 min. + cooling
Yield 2-1/2 dozen
A cross between a cookie and a candy bar, our decadent salted caramel bars with chocolate are a grown-up version of your favorite childhood indulgences.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 package (14 ounces) caramels
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 package (12 ounces) dark chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Gradually beat in flour, mixing well. Press 3 cups of dough onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. pan. Bake until set, 20-22 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt caramels with cream over low heat until smooth. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with salt, then chocolate chips. Drop remaining dough by teaspoonfuls over top. Bake until light golden brown, 30-35 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

1 bar: 334 calories, 18g fat (11g saturated fat), 37mg cholesterol, 199mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate (28g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.

After over 20 years of making this shortbread, I’ve finally found the perfect pairing—salted caramel and dark chocolate. So I layered them with my favorite shortbread crust. —Lisa Glenn, Sarasota, Florida
Recipe Creator