GF Salted Caramel Bars
These delicious cookie bars are a snap to make and provide just the right combination of sweet and salty. Cut into tiny squares for a party or leave in larger pieces if you want to indulge a little.
GF Salted Caramel Bars
Ingredients
- 2 c (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 c Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 4 c (16 oz) Better Batter All-Purpose Flour, plus 2 Tbsp additional flour
- 1 (11.5 oz) jar salted caramel sauce (such as Smucker's Simple Delights)
- Sea salt for sprinkling
- Cooking spray
- 13x9 Pan (This recipe makes enough for a 13x9 pan. If you don't need that much, then halve the recipe and use an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan instead but keep the baking time the same.)
Instructions
Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13x9 (or 9x9 pan if you are doing half a recipe) with foil, leaving enough foil overhanging on the sides to make handles. Spray the foil well with cooking spray. Set aside.
Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a large bowl and a handheld mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape sides well.
Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well to incorporate. Add in 4 cups flour and mix until a soft dough has formed. Press half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and refrigerate the remaining dough.
First bake. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. It will not be cooked all the way through yet when you remove it from the oven. While crust is baking mix together the caramel sauce and remaining 2 Tbsp flour.
Pour the caramel mixture over the parbaked crust and crumble remaining dough on top of caramel layer. Sprinkle very lightly with sea salt remembering not to overdo it since there is salt in the caramel sauce as well.
Second bake. Return the bars to the oven and continue to bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and the caramel sauce is bubbling.
Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before removing from pan, discarding foil, and cutting into squares. Serves 8+, depending on which size you make.
Adapted from The Domestic Rebel
