Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Bars
If you’re looking for a dessert that disappears almost as fast as you can slice it, these brown sugar shortbread caramel cookie bars with chocolate chunks are a great recipe to make on repeat. Made with simple ingredients, including room temperature butter, brown sugar, and all-purpose flour, the buttery cookie batter creates the perfect base and topping for a rich caramel layer. I press half of the cookie dough into a parchment paper-lined baking dish, pour over a silky caramel mixture made with Kraft caramels and heavy cream, then crumble the remaining dough over the top of the caramel with plenty of semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Every bite is filled with buttery shortbread, gooey caramel, and melty chocolate, making these irresistible caramel cookie bars you’ll find yourself baking again and again.
Why I love these cookie bars so much
I originally had these bars at book club sans chocolate chunks. They were pretty impressive. However, I knew that with chocolate, they would be flipping’ awe-sssSUM! You know that moment when you take a bite of something, and it’s so good, you need to pause, close your eyes, and thank the Lord above for taste buds? Yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ bout with these salted caramel chocolate chunk bars; they’re going to make your world go all slow-mo. Yes, slow motion, because 1 pound of butter 40-ish caramel candies and chocolate chunk pieces. You do the math. Ok I’ll do the math. I DID the math and it equalled perfectly, delectable, scrumptious yumminess! Making sure I answered the why question above; I love these cookies because they are decadent, and a little fussy (not hard) and did I say melt in your mouth? These bars take a few steps, they aren’t as easy as these bars, but believe me the steps are worth it! Try eating one warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Pretty much the best dessert ever.
Gather these ingredients
How to make Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and then line it with parchment paper.
Add room temperature butter, brown sugar, and confectioners sugar to bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle attachment combine until light and fluffy.
Now gradually add flour to butter sugar mixture until all 4 cups of flour have been incorporated.
Split dough in half and press half down into the bottom of parchment line 9×13 baking pan. Put the other half of the dough in the refrigerator while this layer bakes for 15 minutes.
While bottom layer is baking. Place unwrapped caramels in a microwave safe bowl with half and half microwave for 1 minute at a time stirring in between until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth and pourable.
Now it’s time to finish this recipe! Remove the remaining half of dough from the refrigerator, and measure out chocolate chunks, and a flakey sea salt.
Pour melted caramels over top of the bottom shortbread layer. Smooth caramel out into a think even layer over shortbread.
Sprinkle half of the flaky sea salt over the caramel layer.
Crumble remaining shortbread dough evenly over the top of the caramel layer. Let there me gaps so the caramel shows through.
Sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chunk pieces evenly over the top of the crumbled shortbread layer and sprinkle with more sea salt. Place in oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
School has been keeping everyone in this house busy lately! Between finishing college essays, juggling challenging class schedules, keeping up with sports, another child starting driver’s training, and trying to stay ahead of all the fall yard work, there hasn’t been much time left for fun. As a mom of three teenagers, I want them to enjoy life—but not too much, if you know what I mean! During these busy seasons, I think a homemade sweet treat can do wonders for everyone’s spirits. Sometimes all it takes is a delicious little nibble and a cold glass of milk to help us slow down, recharge, and make it through another busy day.
Sprinkle a little flakey sea salt over the warm bars to balance the sweetness, or serve one slightly warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat. including how to combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, cream the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scrape the sides of the bowl, and create that perfect even layer of caramel and cookie dough every time.
This recipe was adapted from this recipe from the blog Cookies and Cups.
These gooey bars are everything you want in an easy homemade dessert—soft, buttery, rich, and loaded with chocolate and caramel in every bite. Whether you’re baking them for a holiday cookie tray, a family gathering, or simply because you’re craving something sweet, they’re guaranteed to be a favorite. From my table to yours with love, Sheila
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Bars
Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle attachement
- 9×13 inch baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter 1 pound, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 14 ounce bag caramel candy cubes unwrapped (approximately 50 candies)
- 1/3 cup half & half heavy whipping cream or milk can be stubstituted
- 1/2 tbsp flaky sea salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks I used Nestle brand
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray.
- Place butter and sugars in mixer, beat until creamed. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl and beat another minute. Add vanilla and beat another 30 seconds. Gradually add flour a half cup at a time
- Take one-third of the dough and press into the bottom of pan. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Place remainder of the dough in the refrigerator. (this will help it get crumbly)
- Unwrap caramels and place them in a medium-sized glass bowl pour half and half over caramels, place in microwave and gradually melt on high at 30 second intervals stirring in between each until caramels are melted and smooth. This step takes about 3 minutes.
- Remove bottom crust from oven pour caramel over crust and spread evenly with spatula, sprinkle sea salt evenly over caramel. Remove dough from refrigerator, crumble half of the dough over caramel. Sprinkle chocolate chunks evenly over bars, as well as the remainder of the dough.
- Return bars to oven and bake an additional 30-40 minutes or until bars just start to get a little brown on top.
- Place pan on a cooling rack allow to cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.
Third pan today!! I didn’t have quite the amount of caramel bits so I added some ice cream topping!! I had wondered how that would work and now I know!! Today’s batch was for a friends birthday so I lined the pan with parchment and just lifted the whole thing out and gave it to her in one big piece. They were still warmish and I didn’t want to cut into them. The cookie exchange was fun even though I over cooked the bars a bit. I used a stoneware pan and they cooked faster than I expected in it. The caramel was a bit chewy on the edges. I had to eat that part, to protect the others:) Thanks for telling me about the caramel topping! I think these bars may be a regular around here even though they aren’t the cheapest treat! Merry Christmas to you and yours too!!!!
Made them once and I’m making them again! I added toasted pecans and they’ll be going in there again. They are very hard to stay out of!!! This time instead of eating most of the pan myself, I’m taking them to a cookie exchange. Instead of unwrapping 50 caramel pieces, I used caramel bits that are just right for melting, no unwrapping needed.
Caramel bits! So much easier, thanks for the tip. I actually could not find caramels so I used caramel ice cream topping, they are a little bit gooier (spelling?) than usual but it worked! Enjoy your cookie exchange and Merry Christmas! XO Sheila
Wow, all gooey and caramelly. These would be good for every holiday – saints or sinners 🙂