Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Homemade salted caramel sauce sandwiched between layers of chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with sea salt flakes. Cookie bar perfection!
Servings: 25 small squares
Ingredients
- 1 recipe caramel sauce, cooled (or 1 cup store-bought)
- 1 cup (225 g) butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9x9 square pan with foil, make sure the foil goes up the sides as you'll use it to help you get the bars out of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
- Add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixer bowl and beat over medium speed until creamy.
- Add the vanilla extract, eggs, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until just incorporated.
- Add the flour and blend in over low speed until mixed through.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips using a large spoon or your hands.
- Add half of the chocolate chip cookie dough to the pan, press into the bottom and sides. Pour the caramel sauce on top. Sprinkle the caramel with salt flakes. Then drop the remaining chocolate chip cookie dough on top. See note below if you don't have a very tall pan to prevent overflow!
- Places rimmed baking sheet under the 9x9 pan and place in the oven just in case it overflows. Avoid overflow by using a deep pan and keeping some of the dough aside to make a few cookies later. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the cookie dough is golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Then remove from the pan using the foil sides and place on a large plate. Refrigerate for another hour before removing the foil and cutting into pieces.
Notes
The 9x9 pan that I used was 2.5” high. If your pan isn’t quite that deep, then reserve a small amount of cookie dough and make a couple of cookies later just to make sure it won’t overflow. To be extra safe if this is your first time making them, bake with the pan on top of a cookie sheet to catch any possible overflow. I have not had any issues with overflow myself but did have one reader that did, so I don't want it to happen to you! The cookie dough and caramel sauce can be made several days ahead. Place the caramel sauce in an airtight jar and cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap before refrigerating. Then take out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before using.