Gooey Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
These Gooey Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars combine soft, buttery cookie dough with rich chocolate chips and a luscious layer of thick caramel sauce, topped with flaky sea salt for the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Baked to perfection, these bars offer a chewy center with slightly crisp edges, making them an irresistible treat for cookie lovers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Total Time: 45-50 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 0.75 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Add-ins & Topping
- 1.5 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup thick caramel sauce
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal of the bars.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. This ensures even distribution of the leavening agent and salt throughout the dough.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a separate large bowl, use a mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined. This step helps incorporate air and provides the base for a tender cookie texture.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugars, followed by the vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and uniform.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the bars tender. Then gently fold in the chocolate chips evenly throughout the dough.
- Layer dough and caramel: Spread about half of the cookie dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Carefully dollop and spread the thick caramel sauce over the dough layer, then top with the remaining cookie dough, spreading gently to cover the caramel without mixing the layers.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are set and golden while the center remains soft and gooey.
- Add salt and cool: Immediately after removing the bars from the oven, sprinkle flaky sea salt evenly over the top to enhance the caramel and chocolate flavors. Allow bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before slicing into squares for serving.
Notes
- Using thick caramel sauce is key to keeping the gooey texture without it running throughout the pan.
- Do not overbake; remove when edges are firm but center still soft to achieve the perfect chewy texture.
- You can substitute some or all of the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour blend if needed.
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking can help prevent spreading but is optional.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Keywords: salted caramel, chocolate chip, cookie bars, gooey, dessert, bake, sweets, caramel sauce
