Here’s a delicious salted caramel bars recipe — chewy, buttery, with a sweet-and-salty kick 🍬✨
Salted Caramel Bars
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Base
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Caramel Layer
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp corn syrup (optional, for smoothness)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil or butter (optional, for smooth melting)
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Prepare the base
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Mix butter, sugar, flour, and salt until crumbly.
- Press firmly into the pan and bake 15–18 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Cool slightly.
- Make the caramel
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and slightly thickened (~5–7 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
- Assemble the bars
- Pour caramel over baked shortbread and spread evenly.
- Bake 10–12 minutes more, until caramel is bubbly.
- Let cool 15 minutes.
- Add chocolate topping
- Melt chocolate chips with coconut oil or butter.
- Pour over caramel layer and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.
- Let cool completely, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
- Slice & serve
- Cut into bars or squares.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
Tips
- For gooier bars: don’t overbake the caramel layer.
- Nutty variation: sprinkle chopped pecans or almonds between caramel and chocolate.
- Easy cleanup: line the pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
I can also give you a quick no-bake version, a blondie-style salted caramel bar, or mini dessert cups version if you want.
Do you want one of those variations?
