Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Name: Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cup self rising flour; 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar light preferred; 2 large eggs; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips about 3/4 cup; 1 cup caramel baking bits; 1/2 cup chopped pecans or other nut of choice

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Last Updated on August 26, 2024 by [email protected]

These Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are THE cookies to make. Make these the ultimate cookie bars by adding a bit of caramel and a sprinkle of salt!

A small pile of the finished Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on a blue plate that's been lined with a piece of burlap cloth.

When you need a sweet treat to take to a gathering, or to donate to a bake sale, what do you come up with?

Many of us have that favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that we learned from our grandmothers, but what will make yours stand out?

Adding in some caramel and sea salt.

Now you will have perfection in a cookie bar. This Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar recipe has sweet chocolate and caramel meld with salty bits of sea salt for a flavor explosion like none other.

You will wow your guests and be the hit of the bake sales with this recipe!

Self-rising flour – I usually grab mine at Aldi. Alternatively, I make my own by following a recipe I learned from the Food Network.
Unsalted butter – Make sure you leave this at room temperature before hand. It’s important that you use the unsalted butter at room temp to ensure it folds in properly with the rest of the ingredients.
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips – I personally love the Toll House Chocolate Chips. I can almost imagine Phoebe shouting “Yes!” in agreement with me on this one!
Caramel Baking Bits – My favorite is Kraft’s Caramel Bits because they’re the perfect size and sweetness. If you can’t find these, good old baking caramels will do.
Chopped Pecans – This is an optional ingredient. I just love adding some on mine as I find that it’s a good way to sneak in a good source of protein and fiber.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Slowly add in parts of the flour, mixing in between, until all of the flour is mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips, caramel bits and pecans.
Spread the dough into your prepared pan. Top with a few extra chocolate chips, caramel bits and pecans if you would like, for presentation.
Bake until the edges turn golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

A collage of the steps for making Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

A collage of the steps for making Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. This collage features the steps wherein one presses the dough into a baking dish lined with aluminum foil, then baked and cut into smaller squares.

How I serve these cookie bars depends on when I make them. During hot summer days, I love topping this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But when the weather gets chilly, I love having this with a cup of hot drink like my copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea Recipe or Fall-Themed Hot Chocolate Cocoa Bombs.

Since these have butter and eggs in them, I recommend refrigerating them in an air tight container. You can keep these in the refrigerator for up to 4 days!

Recipe FAQ’s

How easy is this Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe to make?

Even easier than your regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. Making it into bars means you only have one batch to worry about in the oven. No standing in the kitchen for 2-3 hours, making one batch every 8-12 minutes. Perfect for those of us with toddlers and babies on the go!

Simply add all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet in another. Mix and pour! How easy is that?

Do I have to use foil to line the baking sheet?

Lining the baking dish with foil will help you remove the cookie bars more easily. However, you can skip the foil if you want.

Simply grease the pan with butter or cooking spray like you normally would.
You’ll want to watch the cookie bars a bit to make sure they aren’t browning too fast, as the foil helps with that.

Do I have to use pecans?

If you don’t prefer pecans, you can sub out other nuts if you would like.
Try walnuts, crushed peanuts, or almonds. Or leave them off altogether.

A small pile of the finished Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars on a blue plate lined with brown burlap cloth.

More Dessert Recipes to Try:

What is your favorite bake sale cookie? Will you try these Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars? Comment below and share your experiences in trying this recipe. I always love hearing from you!

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield: 12 slices

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

These Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are THE cookies to make. Make these the ultimate cookie bars by adding a bit of caramel and a sprinkle of salt!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup self rising flour
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar light preferred
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips about 3/4 cup
1 cup caramel baking bits
1/2 cup chopped pecans or other nut of choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking dish with baking non stick spray. You can line the dish with foil for easy removal, if you do this then spray the foil lining with baking non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until well combined.
Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Slowly add in parts of the flour, mixing in between, until all of the flour is mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips, caramel bits and pecans.
Spread the dough into your prepared pan. Top with a few extra chocolate chips, caramel bits and pecans if you would like, for presentation.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 447Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 397mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 2gSugar: 46gProtein: 5g