These Salted Caramel Butter bars are one of my most requested recipes ever! The buttery cookie is filled with a creamy, salted caramel that is so rich and beyond delicious.
I can’t begin to explain to you how much I love these Salted Caramel Butter Bars…I make them ALL THE TIME. They are one of my most requested desserts to bring to parties and there is never one left! And might I add, if you happen to be entering a cookie contest, these will guarantee you victory. Unequivocally.
The base is a buttery shortbread that comes together very easily and the filling is simply caramels, milk or cream, and a little salt! You can use pre-made caramels, or even a thick caramel sauce. I do recommend using caramels over sauce, because I think the texture is more chewy and hold up better than sauce, but so many of you who have made this recipe let me know that you have used caramel sauce and it’s worked out well!
How To Make Salted Caramel Butter Bars
It’s all a pretty easy process, just a few steps, honestly: you make dough, you divide dough, you bake some of the dough, you chill some of the dough…
Looking For More Caramel Recipes? Try These:
Salted Caramel Butter Bars
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
- Category: Cookie Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Salted Caramel Butter Bars are a buttery shortbread filled with creamy salted caramel! A MUST MAKE!
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all purpose flour
For the Filling:
- 14 ounces soft caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels), unwrapped
- 1/3 cup milk or cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- optional – 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Press one-third of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are a pale golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.
To Make the Filling:
- While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the milk or cream. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.
- Once the caramel is melted add in your ½ teaspoon of vanilla and stir until combined.
- Pour the caramel filling over the cooled crust. If you are going to salt the caramel sprinkle it on caramel layer now.
- Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25 – 30 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Store airtight for up to 5 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 39.9 g
- Sodium: 515.9 mg
- Fat: 18.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 60.6 g
- Protein: 4.3 g
- Cholesterol: 43.6 mg
I really am not a huge fan of sweets.. But… WOW!!! These are So So Good!!! Definitely not too sweet but so buttery!!! My absolute favourite now!!!
Since the dough is so much like pecan sandies , I added 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans to the dough. I think next time I will divide the dough more closely to half and half. I also think the dough would benefit from 5 minutes in the freezer as part of the chilling time.
I just made these, and I am shamelessly hiding them from my 5 year old son so I can have them all to myself. They are gooey, buttery and the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Luckily my husband hates caramel (I didn’t know there were people out there who hate caramel!!!) so i am excited to lick the pan after my kiddo goes to bed… I am going to have to double the recipe next time! I have a feeling these are going to be a staple bar around my house. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi, if I’m going to use ready store-bought caramel sauce for the filling, how much of it do I need? How many cups? Thanks!
About a cup and a half…I am estimating 🙂
The first time I made my own caramel I didn’t have enough cream, so I used caramel machhiato creamer. It was A MAZING!!!
great idea!!
Do these bars freeze well for Christmas? or shouldn’t you freeze them?
They would freeze great!
I JUST made this exact recipe, actually – except this other recipe called for one or two chopped granny smith apples that you mix with the caramel sauce before pouring. 🙂 Delicious!
Hi Shelly, my wonderful mother-in-law makes these and they are unreal – so so delicious! If I were to make a couple pans for various holiday events, how long would they last potentially? How far ahead of time can I make them? And do they need to be in the fridge or can they hang out on the counter for a few days? Thanks!
These would be good for about a week.. BUt they would freeze beautifully!
Hello 🙂
Obviously the last thing this recipe needed was another accolade of praise posted in the comments section below right? Well, I cannot deny myself the chance to tell you about my experience with these small squares of sugary, salted, buttery, ever so slightly crusty, moist, nom stick to my teeth,bite sized perfection. I actually “reverse searched” these. I bought a small nameless bag of 4 from my son’s school bake sale. Being the sweet connoisseur I am also genetically gifted with the ability to judge a dessert by it’s appearance. At only $1 I instinctively buy the last remaining 2 bags excitedly! I also purchased the ugliest chocolate chip cookies because I already know they are going to be THE BEST!
Somehow I resist trying these while walking around for hours for parents teachers conferences. But when I finally found the time to open the snack sized baggie of unknown deliciousness, I guessed what it was I was tasting (Heaven? Well yeah duh! Angels are always seeking any and every morsel of heaven on earth). And here I am finding THE recipe! These are so delicious! I am not a Baking Woman, but I will not live my life without the sweet salty decadence of taste of these bars! Thank you!
This is the most hilarious comment EVER! YES, people LOVE these bars…myself included!
Could you clarify what is meant by 1 T. of salt? I always thought T=tablespoon and t=teaspoon, but when I added 1 tablespoon of salt it felt like way too much. Now they’re baking and I’m sitting here doubting myself!
it is one tablespoon, yes. They are salted caramel bars so there is a higher amount of salt, but please note that I used 1 tablespoon of *course* sea salt.. so if you used 1 tablespoon of table salt it could work out to be much more and yes, probably too much. Hope that helps!