Thick Chocolate Chip Caramel Center Dessert Bars
Make these easy layered bar cookies featuring a chewy chocolate chip cookie base, a gooey caramel center, and more chocolate chips on top. These are simple to prepare and perfect for sharing.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 55 min
- Yield: 24 squares 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1 cup soft caramel candies or thick caramel sauce (store-bought is fine)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. This forms your cookie dough base.
- Press two-thirds of the cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- If using soft caramel candies, chop them roughly. If using caramel sauce, drizzle it evenly over the dough layer. If using candies, distribute them evenly over the dough.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over the caramel layer.
- Take the remaining one-third of the cookie dough and crumble it evenly over the top layer. Gently press down slightly so the crumbs adhere.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is mostly set but still slightly soft.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cooling is important for the caramel to set properly.
- Once cool, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire slab out of the pan. Cut into squares for serving.
Notes
- For the best gooey texture, use high-quality soft caramel candies or a thick, pre-made caramel sauce. Avoid thin sauces.
- If you want a richer flavor in the base, substitute 1/2 cup of the butter with brown butter. Let the melted butter cool slightly before creaming it with the sugars.
- To get clean cuts, chill the cooled bars in the refrigerator for at least one hour before slicing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg