Description
Indulgent salted caramel chocolate chip oat cookie bars blend rich flavors into a delightful dessert experience. Sweet and salty notes dance together, promising pure comfort with each delectable bite you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oat Cookie Bars Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
- 1.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.75 cup dark chocolate chips
- 0.5 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 0.75 cup walnuts or pecans (finely chopped)
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 4.5 tablespoons unsalted butter (sliced)
- 0.25 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
Caramel and Finishing Ingredients:
- 0.75 cup granulated sugar
- 0.25 cup + 2 tablespoons water
- Hefty pinch of kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Prepare caramel ingredients in advance, ensuring heavy cream is at room temperature to prevent seizing.
- Combine water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring gently without splashing sides.
- Heat over medium, allowing sugar to dissolve without stirring.
- Watch mixture transform from clear to light golden to rich amber, gently redistributing if browning unevenly.
- Remove from heat immediately when evenly amber and whisk in butter.
- Slowly pour heavy cream while whisking until smooth.
- Incorporate vanilla and salt into caramel mixture.
- Return to medium heat and bubble for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in flour, then set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Mix oats, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cream butter and dark brown sugar until smooth using hand or electric mixer.
- Blend in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, adding semisweet chocolate chips just before fully combined.
- Spread 2/3 of dough in baking dish and top with chopped nuts.
- Bake for 8 minutes, storing remaining dough in refrigerator.
- Remove crust and layer dark chocolate chips evenly.
- Reheat caramel if needed to maintain pourability, then drizzle over chocolate chips.
- Dot remaining cookie dough randomly across caramel surface.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.
- Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for an hour.
- Release from pan, sprinkle with sea salt, and slice.
Notes
- Ensure heavy cream is room temperature to prevent caramel from seizing, gently warm in microwave if needed.
- Watch sugar transformation closely during caramelization, gently nudge darker sections for even color development.
- Refrigerate remaining cookie dough while par-baking crust to maintain optimal texture and prevent spreading.
- Use parchment paper overhang for easy bar removal, helping prevent sticking and simplifying cutting process.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 242 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 32 mg