Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

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A chewy, flavorful store-bought cookie mix becomes salted caramel cookie bars with the addition of a rich and easy homemade caramel topping.

A few months ago, I took my decadent double chocolate brownie recipe and, because I could, added a homemade caramel topping. The result was out of this world, but it was a fairly time consuming process; I essentially made two different recipes from scratch. It was worth it, but it wasn’t something I typically have time to reproduce.

That’s why, when I found these Nestle Toll House Baking Mixes at Walmart, I knew immediately what I would create. The bars are awesome on their own. You get the coveted chewiness of a perfect chocolate chip cookie in a fraction of the time it would take you to roll out individual balls of dough, but you also get the option to customize them in a zillion different, but equally delicious, ways.

Don’t let the homemade caramel part fool you; this recipe is easy. Just add your caramels and your cream to a bowl and microwave until you have a smooth mixture. Spread it over the cooled bars and you’re done. The hardest part about making these salted caramel cookie bars? Waiting for the caramel to set up before you dig in.

Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

Ingredients

1 box NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Cookies & More Cookie Baking Mix with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, prepared according to package instructions for cookie bars
30 caramels, unwrapped
1/4 c. heavy cream
kosher salt or sea salt

Instructions

While cookie bars are cooling, combine caramels and and heavy cream in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 second increments, stirring after each time, until caramels are melted into a smooth sauce.

Pour the caramel evenly over the cooled cookie bars and use a spatula to spread. The caramel will begin to set up immediately, so spread quickly. Allow caramel to dry for one to two hours before sprinkling with salt and serving.

Notes

The caramel can be made on the stove top if you prefer. Just make the heat is low so as not to scorch it.

Nestle Toll House Baking Mixes come in three other flavors, all of which would be heavenly paired with this homemade caramel. Try them all, or get more recipe inspiration.

Can’t get enough decadent desserts? You’ve got to try my brown sugar pound cake with caramel icing, or these s’mores fudge bars.