I’ve been making these for years, and I gotta tell ya’ – the crunchy, savory sea salt and smooth chocolate and shortbread-like dough makes these cookie bars a real people-pleaser!! YUM!
Chocolate Caramel Sea- Salted Cookie Bars
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Southern
PREP TIME
20 mins
COOK TIME
30 mins
TOTAL TIME
50 mins
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
11 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
â…“ cup light brown sugar (packed)
1½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Caramel Sauce:
2 cups dark chocolate (chopped/ I use 70% dark chocolate)
1½ cups sugar
â…“ cup water
1 cup evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350°.
Crust
Line yourself a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Let the paper go to the top of the sides with a little overhang. You’ll use this overhanging parchment paper later to lift out the whole thing from the pan.
Git yourself a big mixing bowl and beat the butter and brown sugar until it’s all fluffy.
Now, stir in the flour and salt until you have a nice dough.
Press that dough down into the baking pan lined with the parchment paper until it’s even and covers the bottom.
Bake the dough for 30 minutes until it’s golden brown. When it’s done, take it out and let it cool.
Chocolate Caramel Sauce
Place the chopped chocolate in a big mixing bowl.
Add the water and the sugar to a saucepan and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. You don’t want the sugar to crystallize. It should be a nice caramel color when it’s done.
Take it off the burner for a minute and add the butter, evaporated milk, and salt. Stir that together to blend a bit.
Now put the saucepan back on the burner and let it come to a boil, stirring it constantly to make sure it’s nice and smooth.
Next, pour this hot creamy mixture over the chopped chocolate you have in the mixing bowl and stir in the chocolate until it’s all blended and smooth.
Pour this chocolate caramel mixture over the cooled dough crust in the square pan. Use a spatula to make it nice and smooth and sprinkle with a little sea salt flakes. (You can refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight or just let it cool on the counter until the chocolate sauce is hardened more.)
Assembly
Once you’re ready to slice, using the overhanging edges of parchment paper, pull and lift the whole pan of the big cookie out of the square pan.
Using a hot knife (I dip the knife in boiling water for a minute) into the bars. You may have to wipe the knife off intermittently and dip in hot water again if it gets too messy.
Place the bars on a platter and watch them dee-lish-us babies disappear right before your eyes!