Caramel Chocolate Bars

Craving a decadent treat that’s as easy to make as it is irresistible to eat? Caramel chocolate bars are made of two layers of buttery oat cookie sandwiching a gooey caramel and chocolate ribbon studded with pecans. These bars are simple to make, and they’ll be a crowd-pleasing sweet to contribute to a cookie swap or community bake sale.

Ingredients for Caramel Chocolate Bars

• All-purpose flour: Flour acts as the base of the cookie layers of these gooey bars, and stirring a small amount into the caramel helps to stabilize it.
• Quick-cooking oats: Tender and flaky quick-cooking oats add an oatmeal cookie flavor to the dough for these caramel-and-chocolate-filled bars. They also give it sturdiness and a pleasant amount of chew.
• Brown sugar: Just like some of our best chocolate chip cookie recipes, brown sugar is the primary sweetener in the cookie dough for these bars.
• Baking soda: The leavening agent in this recipe, a little bit of baking soda helps contribute lightness to the cookie dough as the bars bake.
• Butter: Cold cubed butter worked into the dry ingredients until coarse and crumbly adds richness to the bars. Cutting it in as though making pastry reduces the risk that you’ll overmix the batter, which can result in a tough bake.
• Chocolate chips and pecans: Semisweet chocolate morsels and crunchy chopped pecans form the base for the rich chocolate layer at the center of these caramel chocolate bars.
• Caramel ice cream topping: Opening a jar of caramel ice cream topping is an easy way to add a ribbon of sweet caramel to the center of these bars. Add a sprinkle of salt on top, if you like!

Directions

Step 1: Make the oat mixture

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set half of this mixture aside for the topping.

Step 2: Bake the first layer

Press the remaining crumb mixture into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Step 3: Add the chocolate and pecans

Sprinkle the chocolate chips and chopped pecans over the baked crumb layer.

Step 4: Add the caramel topping

Whisk the caramel topping and remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth, then drizzle this over the top.

Step 5: Finish with the crumb mixture

Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let the bars cool on a wire rack for two hours before cutting.

Caramel Chocolate Bar Variations

• Change up the chocolate:  Swap the semisweet chocolate chips in the filling for dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or even flavored options like these reader-favorite Baileys Irish Cream chips. Out of morsels? You can use chopped chocolate pieces too.
• Add some fruit: If you’re an oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookie fan, you’ll understand the temptation to add some dried fruit to the chocolate layer of these caramel chocolate bars. Raisins are inexpensive, but dried cherries or dried blueberries would be equally delicious paired with the chocolate, nuts and gooey caramel.
• Make a mini version: Build and bake the caramel chocolate bars in a mini muffin pan to make individual two-bite treats.

How to Store Caramel Chocolate Bars

To keep them, place sliced bars in an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to one week.

Can you freeze chocolate caramel bars?

Yes, these sturdy bars are a perfect sweet treat to stash in the freezer. Store the cut bars in an airtight container, with sheets of parchment or waxed paper in between each layer to avoid sticking. Caramel chocolate bars can last in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for a few hours.

Caramel Chocolate Bar Tips

Can you use other kinds of oats to make caramel chocolate bars?

We call for small and flaky quick-cooking oats for this recipe, but you can use old-fashioned oats instead. Keep in mind that quick-cooking oats have a finer, softer texture, so bars made with old-fashioned oats will have a more coarse, toothsome texture.

Can you use homemade caramel sauce to make caramel chocolate bars?

Absolutely. Swap out the jarred caramel dessert topping and use your own caramel sauce recipe, or try our recipe for salted caramel sauce.