Chocolate Chip Caramel Butter Bars (Print Version)
Thick cookie bar dough with chocolate chips layered with caramel sauce, baked until golden and gooey.
# Ingredients:
→ For the Cookie Bar Dough
01 -
1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened to room temperature
02 -
1 1/2 cups sugar
03 -
2 large eggs
04 -
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
05 -
1 teaspoon baking soda
06 -
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
07 -
4 cups all-purpose flour
08 -
2 cups chocolate chips
→ For the Caramel Sauce
09 -
11 oz jar caramel sauce
10 -
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
# Instructions:
01 -
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
02 -
Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy.
03 -
Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract. Then stir in the baking soda and cream of tartar.
04 -
Slowly mix in the flour a little at a time, just until the mixture is combined and you don't see any more white bits. Don't overmix!
05 -
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. The batter will be very stiff, so this will take a couple of minutes to work them in.
06 -
In a bowl, whisk together the caramel sauce and 1/4 cup flour until totally combined.
07 -
Press half of the cookie bar batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and halfway up the sides. This is easiest if you spray a little nonstick spray on your hands first, then press the batter gently.
08 -
Pour the caramel sauce mixture over the bottom layer of dough, spreading it out evenly.
09 -
Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough evenly over the top of the caramel. It doesn't need to cover completely - just dollop it around.
10 -
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until golden brown.
11 -
Let cool completely before cutting into bars. The caramel needs time to set or it'll be too gooey to cut!
# Notes:
01 -
Make sure the butter is fully softened to room temperature for the best texture.
02 -
The dough is very stiff - this is normal! It needs to be thick to hold the caramel layer.
03 -
Adding flour to the caramel helps it set up properly so it doesn't all ooze out.
04 -
Let these cool completely before cutting or the caramel will be too runny.
05 -
These are like a cross between chocolate chip cookies and caramel bars - so good!