These Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars have a gooey caramel center that is sandwiched between chewy chocolate chip cookie layers and topped with coarse sea salt for a sweet + salty combo! These cookie bars are a truly irresistible treat!
Salted caramel... There are just some things that belong together, and sea salt + caramel is one of those things. These bars are chewy, rich and jam packed with lots of flavor.
In these bars, I use my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe for the cookie part and the filling is super gooey, creamy caramel. Talk about a match made in heaven!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These chocolate chip cookie bars are so delicious with a surprise creamy caramel center!
Ingredients
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used in this recipe.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar and granulated sugar are used for variety. Brown sugar keeps the cookie layers chewy and full of flavor.
- Egg & egg yolk: The extra egg yolk in this cookie recipe is used for extra richness in the cookie dough.
- Vanilla Extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Corn Starch: Using corn starch in cookie recipes helps the baked product stay soft and chewy.
- Pinch salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Feel free to use any kind of chips you'd like.
- 1-2 tsp coarse sea salt
- Caramel candies: I use a bag of these caramels in my recipe. You can use any pre-packaged caramel candies you'd like, measured to 11 oz.
- Heavy cream: Helps to thin out the melted caramel so it is pourable.
How to make cookie bars
- In a large bowl, mix up the cookie dough. Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Press half of the dough into prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, add caramels and heavy cream. Stir until smooth.
Jessica's Recipe Tips
- Cut these into bars once they've cooled completely. If you cut them any sooner, the caramel will ooze out and you'll have a big mess on your hands.
Storage
- Store Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: To freeze, wrap the bars individually or the whole thing in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Place in a resealable, freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
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📋 Recipe
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These cookie bars have a gooey caramel center that is sandwiched between chewy chocolate chip cookie layers and topped with coarse sea salt for a sweet + salty combo.
Ingredients
Cookie Layers
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbs vanilla
- 2 ½ cups + 2 tbs all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- pinch salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Filling
- 1 11 oz bag caramels, unwrapped
- 3-5 tbs heavy cream
- 1-2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix melted butter and both sugars together until combined. Stir in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, corn starch, salt and baking soda and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips by hand. Press half of the dough into the pan.
- For the caramel filling, in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, add caramels and heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Pour caramel onto cookie dough.
- Take remaining cookie dough and scatter it on top of caramel. Not to worry if there are open spots.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt and place on wire rack to cool completely before cutting into them. If you cut them too soon, the caramel will ooze!
Notes
Storage instructions: Store Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing instructions: To freeze, wrap the bars individually or the whole thing in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Place in a resealable, freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 528kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 6gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 401mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 3gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 612IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 3mg
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tried this recipe?I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment below & tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on instagram!
Maria says
These are really fast and easy and absolutely delicious! Very rich and chewy and the caramel layer takes them to the next level.
Maria says
Hi, Do you think I could use thick, jarred caramel sauce instead of the bagged caramels? I have all the ingredients except for those.