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Salted Caramel Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chewy, gooey, incredibly decadent oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookie bars with layers of salted caramel and dark chocolate. These are absolutely divine and there's just no denying how good they are with this type of ingredient list. Enjoy a bit warm, then let them cool for nice slices with fudgy caramel and chocolate in the middle.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (70g) quick-cooking or minute oats
- 1 cup (142g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoon (84g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (85g) dark chocolate chips (I like these extra dark chips)
- ½ cup (70g) chopped pecans, finely chopped
- ¾ cup (180ml/220g) Easy Salted Caramel Sauce
- ⅔ cup (113g) dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
- 1 tablespoon (9g) all-purpose flour
NOTE: for best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line all sides of an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make the cookie dough. Combine softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat until smooth, creamy and a bit fluffy but more like damp sand. This can be done by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula, or with an electric mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until evenly incorporated. Add the oats and mix them in.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add it to the bowl with the buttery oat mixture and fold it in. Add the chocolate chips and chopped pecans and fold them in. Press about ¾ of the dough in the bottom of the baking pan.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and place the leftover dough in the refrigerator.
- Layer on the caramel and chocolate. Remove the base from the oven and place on a wire rack. Stir 1 tablespoon of flour into the caramel sauce so it is evenly combined and pour it over the pre-baked cookie base. Spread it out almost to the edges and then sprinkle with an even layer of dark chocolate chunks. Break up pieces of the reserved cookie dough and place randomly on top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the caramel is bubbling and the cookie dough on top is golden.
- Allow the bars to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then chill for about an hour.
- To release from the pan, you may need to wedge a knife around the corners depending on how well lined your pan is. Then just lift out, sprinkle with sea salt, and slice!
