Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars


I am not usually a fan of a cookie bar………until I made these Caramel Cookie Dough Bars. All I can say is yum!!!

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Shortbread is one of my favorite tastes, a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and little bit crispy……just an all around tasty treat. Every year for Christmas,once we reached a certain age,my Grandma would buy us a tin of shortbread cookies and wrap them in a dish towel. I loved those tins and the cookies.To this day shortbread always reminds me of my Grandma.

Since this is a layered bar I guess I will need to speak of each layer. Shortbread……check!

Caramel…..it can make anything taste great. Now, I have made homemade caramel many times, but I discovered a little secret…….Dulce de Leche. It’s caramel, in a can, already to go! It’s in the same section as the sweetened condensed milk at the grocery store. If I can save a step,and it tastes great, I say why not! But feel free to make your own for this recipe.

Cookie Dough……I have never made cookie dough without eggs before and since you do not bake these bars, except for the shortbread layer, you need an egg free cookie dough. This one is really good and you don’t have to worry about getting sick from eating it.

Chocolate Ganache…….what can I say about dark chocolate and cream that hasn’t already been said……….it’s a slice of heaven.

Combine all these layers and you get a sinfully rich and delicious bar. Speaking of which, I think there are two still left…………yeah!

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars Collage

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Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 30 minutes set time
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 24 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • For Shortbread:
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • For Caramel:
  • 1 can dulce de leche (by the sweetened condensed milk)
  • For Cookie Dough:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • For Chocolate Ganache:
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides.

To make the shortbread, beat butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in flour and salt and mix on low until just combined. Press the dough into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
  2. For the caramel layer: Spread caramel evenly over the shortbread crust. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
  3. To prepare cookie dough, beat butter and sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Spread cookie dough on top of caramel layer using a spatula to smooth dough into an even layer. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare the chocolate ganache.
  4. Chocolate Ganache Layer: Place 1 cup chocolate chips and heavy cream in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Remove from microwave and add remaining chocolate chips and vanilla and stir until smooth and silky. Pour the ganache over the cookie dough layer and chill until set, about 30 minutes.
  5. To remove bars from pan, grasp the edges of the parchment paper and lift out the entire block. Place on a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into 2-inch squares. Refrigerated in an airtight container, bars will keep for up to 3 days.

Keywords: chocolate, cookie dough, dessert bar, bake

This recipe was adapted from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/cookie-dough-billionaire-bars

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