Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie bars layered with buttery caramel and finished with smooth melted chocolate. They cut clean, travel well, and never last long on a dessert table.
Servings: 36 2" X 2" squares
Calories: 234kcal
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Caramel Layer
- 11 ounces caramel bits
- 4 teaspoons milk or heavy cream
Chocolate Topping
- 10 ounces of Ghirardelli Melting Wafers about 1 ¼ cups or standard chocolate chips (about 1 ⅔ cups)
Instructions
Cookie Base
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a 10X15 sheet pan: coat with nonstick spray or butter and line the bottom with parchment.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.1 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
- Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.2 cups chocolate chips
- Press dough evenly into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center is just starting to brown.
- Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before adding caramel.
Caramel Layer
- Add the caramel bits and the heavy cream to a small sauce pot. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until the caramel bits are completely melted.11 ounces caramel bits, 4 teaspoons milk or heavy cream
- Pour over the chocolate chip cookie base.
- Spread to the edges, you’ll need to work fairly quickly, it will thicken up as it cools.
- Place into the refrigerator until the caramel has completely cooled and set.
- Remove from the refrigerator.
Chocolate Layer
- Melt the chocolate wafers as directed on the package.10 ounces of Ghirardelli Melting Wafers
- Pour over the caramel layer and spread to the edges.
- Place back into the refrigerator until the chocolate is completely set before cutting or removing from the pan.
Notes
If you can't find caramel bits, you can substitute one 11-ounce bag of individually wrapped Kraft Caramels. Just be sure to unwrap them all before melting!
Can use 2-30 ounce rolls of cookie dough
Let cool completely in the pan before removing or cutting into bars.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Bar | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.5mg
