President Barack Obama popularized it during his 2008 presidential campaign. The South and Middle American treat, dulce de leche, also played a role in making consumers aware of the flavor of caramel again. This flavor craze shows no sign of abating any time soon.

These salted-caramel chocolate chip cookie bars are not really hard to make, because you are not going to be making the caramel centers from scratch. By combining sweetened, condensed milk with caramel candies, you get a smooth, creamy and quite pourable mix. Don’t worry that the salt taste will overpower you. There is only a little salt in the cookie dough and a tiny bit of flaked sea salt sprinkled on top.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

10 ounces soft caramels, unwrapped

1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with foil and liberally coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Mix well, then then scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Turn the speed to low and add the flour. Beat to combine, then mix in the chocolate chips.

Press half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

In a medium sauce pot, add the sweetened condensed milk and unwrapped caramels. Set over medium-low heat and stir until the caramels melt, making a smooth caramel filling. Pour the filling over the cookie dough base.

Drop the remaining cookie dough over the caramel filling in small teaspoon-sized clumps. Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes, until the center is just set.

Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and allow the bars to cool completely. Then lift the bars out of the pan by the edges of the foil and cut. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

 

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Quick Tip:  Yes, you CAN freeze these delicious cookie bars! Place them in an airtight container and take out a few at a time. They will taste freshly-baked once you thaw them out. If you want to thaw an entire container that you have frozen, remove them from the container and put them in a single layer on a plate to thaw, so any moisture that froze with them doesn’t turn them mushy.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Sommer at aspicyperspective.com