Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

cookie bars stacked on top of each other

The combination of chocolate chip cookies and chewy caramels is just out of this world in these salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars.

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Table of Contents

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
How To Serve These Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
Storing These Salted Caramel Bars
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars are one of the best flavour combinations ever. You take a chocolate chip cookie dough base, add a rich gooey salted caramel layer and top with even more cookie dough goodness before baking these dessert bars into a decadent treat.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

1 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of packed light brown sugar packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2½ cups of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
11-ounce package of soft caramels, unwrapped
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes (we like Maldon brand)

PRO TIP:

The sea salt flakes are large enough to give a little kick of that salt to these sweet cookie bars. If you don’t have sea salt flakes, you can add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt to the caramel (or more to taste). Skip the additional sea salt over the top of the baked bars.

Substitutions And Additions

COOKIE DOUGH: You could also use pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough in this great recipe. You will probably need two large rolls of dough to fill the 9×13 pan.

Instead, if you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, you could use that in this recipe.

CARAMEL SAUCE: You can also use homemade caramel sauce. Be sure it is a soft set caramel sauce. Melting the caramel candies with the sweetened condensed milk makes a thick layer of ultra gooey, smooth caramel, and it’s really just perfect in these bars.

You could also opt to use store-bought salted caramel sauce. If you do, omit mixing in the flaked sea salt.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Lining the pan with overhanging parchment paper will make cleaning up a snap and lifting these scrumptious bars out of the pan to cut into squares much easier.

STEP TWO: Beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the large bowl of a stand mixer for 1 to 2 minutes.

softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a measuring cup

STEP THREE: Add the eggs and vanilla extract then beat together at high speed for at least 5 minutes longer.

eggs and vanilla added to the measuring cup

STEP FOUR: Mix together the flour, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat just until combined.

flour, sea salt, and baking soda added to the measuring cup

STEP FIVE: Add in 2 cups of chocolate chips and beat a few seconds longer to evenly distribute them in the dough.

chocolate chips being folded into the batter

STEP SIX: Place the dough into the refrigerator while preparing the caramel (this will firm the dough up a bit to make it easier to press into the pan).

STEP SEVEN: Unwrap all of the caramel candies and place them in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the caramels.

Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until caramels are fully melted, and the mixture is smooth (about 8 to 10 minutes). Remove from the heat.

condensed milk and caramel being melted together in a bowl

STEP EIGHT: Add ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes and stir into the caramel mixture.

PRO TIP:

The exact amount of salt depends entirely on how salty you want your salted caramel to be. I advise adding the salt gradually – you can always add more, but cannot take it away!

STEP NINE: Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. If the dough is too sticky, use a spatula or a sheet of plastic wrap to press down the cookie dough layer.

STEP TEN: Spread the melted caramel mixture in an even layer over the cookie dough base.

cookie dough being spread in a baking dish then topped with the caramel mixture

STEP ELEVEN: Sprinkle the other half of the cookie dough mixture in small pieces over top of the caramel layer, covering most of the surface.

cookie dough being sprinkled on top of the caramel layer

STEP TWELVE: Bake for 25 minutes or until the center of the cookie dough is set.

STEP THIRTEEN: Remove from the oven and sprinkle with another ½ to 1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes over top of the bars.

STEP FOURTEEN: Cool completely then cut into bars and serve.

These bars are perfectly delicious on their own but you could take them even further over the top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a bigger dessert treat.

If you want to serve them warm or room temperature they will be equally as heavenly.

If you are looking for more bar recipes, how about our rich s’mores bars and peanut butter dream bars

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Storing These Salted Caramel Bars

ON THE COUNTER: Cover these caramel cookie bars with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.

IN THE FREEZER: Freeze these chocolate chip salted caramel cookie bars in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

close up shot of Cookie Bars being broke in half

This recipe takes your favorite cookie bars to a whole new level with gooey caramel centers wrapped in rich soft chocolatey cookie dough. You will want to make these salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars over and over again and it will be a winner with the whole family.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store these bars?

This cookie bar recipe can be stored on the counter for up to seven days. If your kitchen is fairly warm, you may want to pop them in the refrigerator so they don’t get too gooey.

Can I freeze these bars?

These easy recipe bars freeze really well and can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

Can I use salted caramel sauce?

If you would prefer to use store-bought salted caramel sauce instead of melting caramels for these sea salt chocolate chip cookie bars, just make sure to omit the extra sea salt.

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5 from 2 votes

The combination of chocolate chip cookies and chewy caramels is just out of this world in these salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

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Ingredients

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
11 ounces soft caramels, unwrapped
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes, we like Maldon brand

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9×13 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 for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract then beat together at high speed for at least 5 minutes longer.
Mix together the flour, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Add to the creamed mixture and beat just until combined.
Add in 2 cups of chocolate chips and beat a few seconds longer to evenly distribute them in the dough.
Place the dough into the refrigerator while preparing the caramel (this will firm the dough up a bit to make it easier to press into the pan).
Unwrap all of 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 caramels are fully melted, and the mixture is smooth (about 8 to 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
Add ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes and stir into the caramel mixture.
Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared 9×13 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.
Sprinkle the other half of the cookie dough mixture in small pieces 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 ½ to 1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes.
Cool completely then cut into bars and serve.

Notes

Lining the pan with overhanging parchment paper will make cleaning up a snap and lifting these scrumptious bars out of the pan to cut into squares much easier.
The exact amount of salt depends entirely on how salty you want your salted caramel to be. I advise adding the salt gradually – you can always add more, but cannot take it away!

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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