Chocolate Caramel Bars made with just 4 simple ingredients! Easy buttery crust topped with a quick caramel then swirled with melted chocolate. You may even already have the ingredients on hand, meaning there’s no time to waste if you’re in the mood for fast and easy homemade sweets.
I love chocolate caramel candy bars and when I found this winning recipe to make my own at home I just knew that I had to share it with all of you. This chocolate caramel bars recipe is borderline addictive with its buttery flavored caramel and chocolate swirls. It really reminds me a lot of a chocolate toffee candy bar, but this is so much better. Soft, chewy and easy enough to make that you’ll be looking for excuses to bring it to your next gathering or function.
Making these chocolate caramel bars
When you make these caramel bars, it’s important to remember to keep an eye on the caramel as you make it on the stove. You’re bringing the sugar and butter to a boil to create your own homemade caramel and then it gets baked again in the oven, so if you overcook it on the stove, the oven will make it brittle.
Keeping a close eye on the timer and the way your caramel is coming along is vital for ensuring success with this delicious candy. We want the end results to be a soft and chewy caramel, not a hard brittle toffee.
What is the difference between toffee and caramel?
Caramel and toffee are pretty similar. They use almost the same ingredients, look like a shade of brown and are both delicious. The major difference is that toffee gets cooked to a higher internal temperature, and becomes hard and crunchy whereas caramel is more soft and chewy.
How long can you keep homemade caramel?
Homemade caramel can last up to 2 weeks if stored properly inside an airtight container. You can keep it at room temperature during that time as well although keeping it in the fridge will not do it any harm.
Caramel chocolate bar ingredients
-1 cup flour
-½ cup + ¼ cup brown sugar
-¼ cup+ ⅓ cup salted butter
-½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to make chocolate caramel bars
Heat your oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, ½ cup of brown sugar, and ¼ cup of butter with two forks or a pastry cutter. Press this mixture onto the bottom of the glass pan.
In a small saucepot over medium heat, melt the remaining ⅓ cup of butter and then add in the ¼ cup of brown sugar and stir. Bring the mix to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour over the crust.
Bake for 15 minutes, being careful not to overbake.
Remove from the oven and then sprinkle your chocolate chips over the top. Gently swirl the melted chocolate together with the caramel using a thin knife.
Let the candy cool completely and then cut it into bars. Serve and enjoy!
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BARS
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 glass pan with non-stick spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup butter. Use 2 forks or a pastry cutter to combine, until mixture is crumbly. Press into bottom of 8x8 pan.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt remaining 1/3 cup butter. Add in 1/4 cup brown sugar and stir. Bring to a boil, then boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour over crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes. (Do not over bake or you will have toffee bars! 😉
- Remove from oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of caramel and swirl gently with a knife. Let cool completely. Cut into bars and ENJOY!!
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Are toffee and caramel the same thing?
While toffee and caramel both contain the same primary ingredients, the two are not the same. Toffee is more often used for brittles whereas caramel can be used for a wide variety of different candies and sauces.
Does caramel need to be refrigerated?
Caramel does not need to be kept in the fridge, but keeping it nice and cool doesn’t hurt. Keeping your chocolate caramel bars in the fridge inside an airtight container may extend the shelf life by a few more days if you don’t eat it beforehand.
Does caramel freeze well?
Surprisingly, caramel can freeze very well and knowing that it can help to lift your holiday spirit. Making thee delicious chocolate caramel bars weeks in advance and keeping them in the freezer before a major holiday means that you can have delicious homemade sweets that just need to be thawed and eaten.
To freeze the chocolate caramel bars, make sure that you have them already cut into serving-sized bars. Place them in an airtight container and add a layer of parchment or wax paper in between if you have to stack layers. Let them come to room temp for about an hour before eating.
If you enjoyed these Chocolate Caramel Bars, you’ve got to check out these other caramel treats:
- Caramel Apple Bread
- Homemade Snickers Bars
- Caramel Krispie Treats
- Microwave Pumpkin Spice Caramels
- Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Homemade Caramels
- Chocolate Caramel Apples
- Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn
- Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Caramel Turtle Pie
Chocolate Caramel Bars made with just 4 simple ingredients! Easy buttery crust topped with a quick caramel then swirled with melted chocolate.
Heaven says
Can you double this recipe?
Jessica says
You sure can! Just use a 9×13 pan.
Kelly Bluish says
How would you recommend adjusting the baking time? I’m assuming doubling of all ingredients, but wonder how to ensure proper baking a larger pan without ending up with toffee, from overbaking as you mentioned.
Jessica says
If you double all ingredients and bake in a 9×13, the baking time would be very close to what it is now- maybe add a couple minutes just to be safe.
Danny says
So I’m a cook not a baker. Lol. I love this, thanks for the recipe I have made it 3 times, and every time I make it the toffee part is always very dark brown. How do you get yours so creamy and tan color? Am I cooking too hot? Do I need very light colored brown sugar? Thanks again…
Jessica says
Are you using dark brown sugar? That’s the most likely reason why your caramel is darker. Is your caramel somewhat soft & chewy after baking? If not, if it’s more hard like toffee, then I’d reduce the cooking time a bit- your oven might be a little hot.
Gina Harris says
These are delicious! There’s not enough caramel for me, so I double the quantity, and boil for about 90 seconds. I also sprinkle some coarse sea salt over the caramel before adding the chocolate chips. I make millionaire’s shortbread quite often and it’s an absolute production! This is so much easier, and just as tasty. Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Jessica says
Great changes! So good to know about that millionaire shortbread recipe- I’ve seen it too but it just seemed too time intensive! 🙂
Gina Harris says
So, a follow-up :-). These are not just as tasty as millionaire’s shortbread, according to my children, they’re better! It’s the brown sugar in the crust I think – just amazing flavor. Also, your original caramel quantity is enough after all. I was over-reducing it but I’ve got it figured out now. Was having a bit of trouble getting the chocolate chips to melt properly so once I turn the oven off, I pop the whole dish back in (with the chocolate) for 6o seconds, and I can get perfect swirls now. Finally, if you’re wondering why I seem to be in small-scale production of these bars, it’s because I made the mistake of sending some to school with my middle-schooler, and now have numerous demands for more from the entire lunch table :-). Am trying your chicken tenders next, and I’m sure they’ll be delicious 🙂
Jessica says
Gina- thank you so much for taking the time to leave me this wonderful comment! I think sometimes people forget that there are REAL people behind these types of websites. Your comment made me smile. I’m so glad you enjoy the caramel bars. You’re right- the crust is incredible! I think it almost tastes like there are pieces of toffee in it after it bakes. YUM. Enjoy your weekend and good luck with the lunch table! 😉
Mother of 3 says
Oooh! These look so yummy! Making them right now. Pinned so I can remember the recipe later too.
Jessica says
Thank you- I hope you like them!
Avra Williams says
Will this work with (dairy free) margarine? My son is allergic to milk so that’s what I usually bake with.
Jessica says
I’ve not tried it, but it’s worth a shot! Let me know how it turns out!
Ruth Damore says
I’m making this recipe right now, I have never make caramel before. For some reason the butter and brown sugar is very runny is that the way it’s suppose to look? The first time I made it I over cooked it and made toffee .
Jessica says
The caramel sauce is fairly runny- it’s syrup consistency. It bakes to a solid caramel in the oven. And hey- nothing wrong with making toffee, even if it was unintentional! 😉
Lexi says
I am only 13 years old and i have to make these for my health class. I have a 50 minute window for prep time, cook time and clean up time. Would you still recommend this? And also to speed up the cooling time can i stick this in the fridge?
Jessica says
Yes! I think it would be wonderful! You will have to put it in the fridge to cool, but it would be a good choice. 🙂
Eden Passante says
This presentation is gorgeous! Its almost like marbled effect but with caramel and chocolate! Love it!!
Jessica says
thank you!!
Maria says
I made these today and I found them a bit sweet for my taste so would reduce the sugar a bit. Otherwise, a quick and easy recipe. I used unsalted butter and just added some salt to the caramel.
Melissa Chatten says
I’ve just made these and am waiting for them to cool. I swear the site I read the recipe on said to add the chocolate chips before baking. They still don’t seem to have melted a lot. Is the crust really soft when it first gets out of the oven? I can see it being moved around as I try to swirl the chocolate chips. I really hope they turn out. They smell delicious!
Marguerite says
Thanks you that look good
Tulips originate from Afghanistan : ) says
I have made this with nuttelex (vegan spread) and it worked fine (even for the caramel).
I also recommend putting more butter / margarine in the base as both times I have made it the bottom keeps crumbling (perhaps I did not put enough in, or did something wrong).
I would have liked to use some Cadbury chocolate as the top but I instead used the Kraft chocolate hazelnut spread.
I also added in shredded coconut to the base and added crushed peanuts and hazelnuts to the caramel just as it had finished boiling on the stove. Very good with nuts.
Great recipe and I will keep it as a recipe when I have limited items : )
Thanks heaps for the share! Will make again! 🙂
Willy gannon says
Great recipe but I have to remember not to press too hard when putting the knife through because I pulled up the the bottom crust and made kind of a mess.
Jessica says
Glad you liked it! Yes you have to be gentle when swirling. 😉 It all works though, right?!
Janna says
How long will these keep for (in an airtight container well hidden from the husband and child)? Trying to set a time line for my Christmas baking and feel like they won’t keep as long as some of my other items.
Jessica says
I’d say they taste the best within 3 or 4 days. I think you could make them now and freeze them though- then just take them out and cut them when you’d like to serve.
Kelly says
Can these be made in a metal pan? I don’t have a glass one 🙁
Jessica says
Of course! I’d just check them about 3 minutes before they’re supposed to be done to make sure they’re not over cooked.
Lisa says
Oh good lord…these are quite addictive! I have made this several times to great acclaim even though folks seem surprised that someone would actually try a recipe saved from Pinterest! Anyway, I have never found any reason to tweak your recipe and I always read comments to avoid making mistakes. I found your comment that these beauties are best eaten in 3 to 4 days to be hysterical! I cannot imagine any scenario in which these could possibly last in my kitchen more than 36 hours and this is why I do NOT double the recipe. I would have to put a “wide load” sign on my backside! My family and friends thank you for this delicious recipe.
Jessica says
Lisa- thank you for your glorious comment! You made me laugh! So glad you like the recipe. 😉
Alan says
What is up with all the ads? I mean really? 5 ads (1 minute 20 seconds total) embedded in a 1 minute 4 second video? I understand the use of ads to offset the cost of hosting a site and compensation for content, but this is just beyond greedy and really annoying! I think you have a great site, but the sheer amount of ads makes it nearly intolerable.
Jessica says
I’m sorry you feel this way Alan. I try to balance ads as best I can to be able to offer you recipes for free. Time creating recipes, taking photos, editing, creating videos- is all time away from my family. A few minutes of your time in exchange for a free recipe (for a freaking amazing treat!) doesn’t seem greedy or annoying to me. 😉
Nikki Leigh says
People have gotten so used to getting free content, but most don’t understand or appreciate what goes into building and maintaining a website and the content. It doesn’t seem greedy or annoying to me either and I have a good number of websites and totally understand 🙂 Also can’t wait to try out this recipe…