Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oat Cookie Bars
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(17)
Ingredients
16 bars
- Homemade Salted Caramel
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (90g) water
- 4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, sliced
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (100g) heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Hefty pinch of kosher salt
- 7 tbsp (60g) all purpose flour
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (95g) quick oats
- 1 1/4 cup (165g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup (210g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (85g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup (130g) dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup (95g) walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
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Preparation
Step 1
First, get all of the caramel ingredients ready because everything needs to be mixed in while the caramel is still hot. Most importantly, the heavy cream must be at least room temperature, otherwise the caramel can seize up. If it’s too cold, pop it into the microwave to warm up beforehand.
Step 2
Add the water and sugar to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently stir to evenly mix, careful not to allow any of the sugar to slosh up against the sides of the pot.
Step 3
Place over medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve on its own. Do not touch.
Step 4
Once the mixture turns completely clear and bubbling, sit and watch as it turns from clear, to light golden, to a rich amber. If the sugar is browning unevenly, gently nudge the sugar around in the pot to evenly distribute the darker sections.
Step 5
When the sugar turns evenly amber, immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
Step 6
While gently whisking, slowly pour in the heavy cream and mix until smooth.
Step 7
Now whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Step 8
Return to medium heat and bubble for about 2 minutes.
Step 9
Then remove from the heat and whisk in the flour.
Step 10
Set the pot of caramel off to the side while we make the cookie dough.
Step 11
Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line all sides of an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 12
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 13
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the softened butter and dark brown sugar until smooth. This can be done by hand with a wooden spoon, or with an electric mixer.
Step 14
Now mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Step 15
Pour in the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Just before the flour is fully mixed in, add in the 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips.
Step 16
Spread about 2/3 of the dough in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with an even layer of the chopped nuts.
Step 17
Bake for 8 minutes and place the leftover dough in the refrigerator.
Step 18
After those 8 minutes, remove the crust from the oven and top with an even layer of the dark chocolate chips.
Step 19
Now pour over the caramel. It should be easily pourable but if it thickened too much while cooling, return it to the stove and heat just enough to loosen it up again.
Step 20
Then pour an even layer of the caramel over the chocolate chips and top with random blobs of the leftover cookie dough.
Step 21
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until very lightly golden.
Step 22
Allow the bars to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then chill for about an hour.
Step 23
To release from the pan, you may need to wedge a knife around the corners depending on how well lined your pan is. Then just lift out, sprinkle with sea salt, and slice!
Step 24
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Can I leave out the nuts? Yes, if you’re not a fan of nuts they can be left out.
Why did my oat cookie turn out dry? This is usually due to too much flour. When measuring the flour, make sure to spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off. Don’t shake it down or pack it in, we always want light and fluffy cups of flour.
Can I use old fashioned oats in place of the quick oats? Unfortunately not, as old fashioned oats absorb liquid at a much slower rate than quick oats.
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar? You can, but just know that the oat cookie won’t turn out as moist.
Why did my caramel turn out lumpy? This could be because the heavy cream was too cold once added to the sugar, or it was added too fast. Try returning it to the heat and continue whisking to help smooth it out. If this does not work, unfortunately you will have to start over.
Can I use store bought caramel instead? You can, but homemade gives the best flavor! If you choose store bought, measure out 280g of the sauce and then mix in the flour.
How long do caramel cookie bars keep? Store in the refrigerator and these bars will keep for about a week.
