Briefcase on the Kitchen Table

The musings of a millenial midwestern lawyer and mom.

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

So, as many people have noticed, I love to cook and bake. I have received a great deal of requests for recipes so I have decided that I will start posting some of my favorites on here. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as Avery and I do!

what you need

 

What you will need:

For the Crust:
1 lb. salted butter room temp
1 cup sugar
1½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs vanilla
4 cups all purpose flour
For the Filling:
1 bag (14 oz.) caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels), unwrapped
1/3 cup milk or cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/2 T. of regular salt or 1 T. coarse sea salt (this salt is optional. the salted butter gives a bit of a salty bite already)
Step #1, preheat the oven to 325°

Step #2: Make the crust:

In a large bowl, combine the butter, white sugar, and powdered sugar. Using your mixer on medium speed, beat together until creamy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth soft dough forms.

soft, smooth dough
Step #3: Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Spray Pan
Step #4: Press one-half of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust, and place the remainder of the dough in the fridge to chill. Bake the dough until firm to a light touch and the edges are a pale golden brown approx 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.
pressed dough

baked dough
Step #5: While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Put the unwrapped caramels, cream, and vanilla in a microwave-safe bowl. 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.
caramels, cream, and vanilla

microwaved filling
Step #6: Once the crust has cooled for fifteen minutes, pour the caramel filling over the crust. If you are going to salt the caramel sprinkle it on caramel layer now. (Remember, if you don’t have course salt, you need to use slightly less. The course salt won’t dissolve in to the caramel but the regular salt will so you need to use less of it. This salt is completely optional, depending on your taste. I don’t actually use it).

salt

Step #7: Take the rest of the dough from the refrigerator and crumble it over the top of the caramel filling. Place the pan back in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the filling is slightly bubbly and the topping is firm and lightly golden brown.

topping (pre-bake)

 

Step #8: Let the bars cool for at least an hour before you cut them. Allow them to cool completely before storing/wrapping them.

 

cooling

 

I hope you love these as much as I do! They were a hit with my friends and family! Please don’t hesitate to comment if you have a question or id something is unclear!

Christine's avatar

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Christine

Whatcha think?