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4.45 from 9 votes

Salted Caramel Bar Recipe

This Salted Caramel Bar Recipe is a perfect combination of sweet and salty that creates a delicious dessert that is hard to resist. With a few simple ingredients and some basic baking skills, anyone can create caramel shortbread bars that are perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert, treats
Cuisine: American
Keyword: caramel bars, Salted Caramel Bar Recipe, shortbread cookie bar
Servings: 30 bars
Calories: 225kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softened (2 cubes)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 TBSP vanilla
  • 3 ½ cups flour
  • 14 oz bag caramels unwrapped (or 11 oz bag of unwrapped caramel bits)
  • cup heavy cream or milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
  • Dough: In a large mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar, and powdered sugar.
  • Add sour cream, vanilla and mix until combined. Mix in the flour and combine until it forms a soft dough.
  • Press half of the dough in the bottom of a 9×13 dish and place the other half of the dough into the refrigerator. (Do your best dividing it in half- I think mine ends up being 2/3 in the pan and the remaining 1/3 in the fridge and it still turns out well!)
  • Bake: Bake crust in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
  • Caramel filling: While the crust is baking, melt the caramels, heavy cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla in the microwave for 1 minute.
  • Stir together until smooth, adding more time in 30-45 second increments as needed. Try and get it as smooth as you can, depending on the type of caramel, it might not be perfectly smooth and that’s okay!
  • Pour caramel evenly over the hot crust. Lightly sprinkle about 1 tsp coarse sea salt over the caramel.
  • Bake again: Take the remaining dough out of the refrigerator and crumble over the top of the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until filling is bubbly and the top is firm.
  • Add remaining 1 tsp salt after caramel bars are cooled, but before cutting. Let them cool completely before cutting into small squares. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Salted caramel bars can last up to 1 week if stored properly. They should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain their freshness.
If you want to store them for a longer period, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg