Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

By: Julie Blanner7 Comments
Posted: 5/9/23

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These salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars are the ultimate combination of sweet and salty flavors, and just as easy as a sheet of cookies.

A decadent caramel sauce creates a chewy, buttery flavor that combines with a burst of sweet chocolate chips for a treat your family will inhale!

Salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars cut into squares on a white surface.

I love chocolate chips cookies and as you know, anything salted caramel. So naturally, when I spotted this idea of a cookie bar combination at a local bakery, I had to try it for myself!

These cookie bars are almost as quick and easy to make as traditional chocolate chip cookies, with the added benefit of caramel sauce for a creamy, decadent twist.

Table of Contents

These cookie bars are seriously too good to be true.

Why You’ll Love It

Easy Ingredients – Many of these ingredients are pantry staples!
Quicker than Cookies – All the delicious flavor of a cookie, with the simplicity of just one pan.
Incredibly Decadent – In fact, they are so good, you’re going to have a hard time stopping. Half the pan? I won’t judge you, I promise. Let’s get started!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Visit the printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.

For the Bars:

Butter – Salted or unsalted, your choice, I tend to bake with salted butter because we love the salty and sweet layers.
Sugar – Granulated sugar.
Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds a hint of molasses flavor for a classic chocolate chip cookie taste.
Vanilla – A hint of vanilla adds a lot of flavor.
Eggs – Large, preferably.
Baking Soda – The blend of two leavening agents make these chocolate chip cookie bars with salted caramel rise to perfection.
Baking Powder – Always make sure your baking powder is fresh.
Salt – Salt enhances the flavor of all the other ingredients in baking, and you have to balance the sweet.
Flour – All purpose flour, no need to sift.
Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate – it’s your choice, but I tend to go with semi-sweet!
Sea Salt – A secret to taking it over the top is adding a few cracks of thick sea salt flakes just before baking.

For the Salted Caramel Sauce:

You’re welcome to purchase a caramel sauce if you’re intimidated by this step. (But don’t be! It’s easier than you think!)

Sugar – White granulated sugar.
Water
Corn Syrup – To help create the sauce.
Heavy Cream – Heavy whipping cream is imperative for a true caramel sauce.

Prep – Preheat oven.
Create Caramel Sauce – In a saucepan over medium heat, combine caramel sauce ingredients as directed.
Mix Wet Ingredients – Meanwhile, combine butter and sugars with vanilla in a large mixing bowl or your mixer. Gently blend in eggs, careful not to over mix.
Mix Dry Ingredients – Combine dry ingredients and slowly incorporate into wet mixture until combined. Then fold in chocolate chips.
Add Dough to Pan – Next, scoop 1/2 of dough into greased baking pan. Now, add your layer of the caramel you made. Top with remaining layer of dough.
Bake – As directed, until golden brown.
Serve – You can let it cool completely, or for an extra indulgent treat, serve it warm!

Tools to Use

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Tips

You can buy jarred caramel sauce for a shortcut. It makes these delicious cookie bars even simpler. There’s nothing quite as good as homemade caramel, but they will still taste incredible, I promise!
I like to check these bars at around 17 minutes. They have an average bake time of 22 minutes in my oven- yours might be different. You don’t want to over bake and risk losing that chewy, delicious texture!
Line your dish with parchment for easy cleanup.
Cut while warm for easy removal.

Serving Suggestions

These cookie bars are best served warm. Bonus points when topped with a scoop of something else incredibly delicious, and you know I’ve got a few ideas!

Add a scoop (or three) of my homemade no churn vanilla ice cream. Just two ingredients and you’ll have a delicious ice cream addition to these cookie bars!
Have you ever made homemade whipped cream? Once you try it, you’ll never go back to store bought.
Another great idea? Double the first three ingredients and you’ll have double the caramel sauce! Hold the second half back to pour a decadent layer of caramel over your salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars!

How to Store

At Room Temperature – Store, tightly covered for up to 4-5 days.
Refrigerator – Store these chocolate chip caramel bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freezer – Yes, you can freeze these salted caramel bars! Simply wrap tightly in an airtight container or plastic wrap, and freeze for up to three months.