Description
Salted caramel chocolate chip oat cookie bars blend irresistible layers of sweet and salty goodness. Rich chocolate, buttery caramel, and hearty oats create a perfect harmony that will make dessert lovers swoon with delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Sweeteners and Binding Agents:
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Seasonings and Extras:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Meticulously coat an 8-inch baking vessel with parchment paper, ensuring generous edges extend beyond the pan for effortless extraction after baking.
- Blend dry ingredients – flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt – in a comprehensive mixing vessel.
- Incorporate melted butter, rich brown sugar, and aromatic vanilla extract into the dry mixture, gently folding until a cohesive dough emerges.
- Distribute half the prepared dough across the parchment-lined pan, pressing firmly to create an even, compact foundation.
- Transition the pan into a preheated 350°F oven, allowing the base to set and slightly crisp for approximately 10 minutes.
- Carefully extract the partially baked foundation and generously cascade chocolate chips across the entire surface.
- Drizzle caramel sauce uniformly over the chocolate chips, ensuring complete coverage with smooth, deliberate motions.
- Delicately sprinkle flaky sea salt to enhance the caramel’s rich, complex flavor profile.
- Crumble remaining dough atop the caramel layer, creating an artful, rustic pattern with intentional gaps revealing underlying layers.
- Return the pan to the oven, baking an additional 15-20 minutes until the surface achieves a golden, enticing hue.
- Remove from oven and allow complete cooling within the pan, permitting structural integrity to develop.
- Utilize parchment edges to lift the entire creation, then slice into elegant, uniform squares ready for indulgence.
Notes
- Adjust the sweetness by reducing brown sugar for a less sweet version or using alternative sweeteners like coconut sugar for a more complex flavor profile.
- Ensure the caramel sauce is at room temperature to prevent uneven spreading and potential burning during baking.
- Create a gluten-free variation by substituting regular flour with almond flour or a certified gluten-free flour blend, maintaining the same measurements.
- Enhance the texture by slightly underbaking the bars, which keeps them wonderfully gooey and soft in the center while maintaining a golden exterior.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 292
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg