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Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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These cookie bars are chewy, chocolatey, and filled with a layer of homemade caramel. Plus, they’re easier to make than you might think!

How to

First, you’ll make some gooey, salted caramel. Start by adding sugar to a saucepan and placing it over low-medium heat. Stir often, until the sugar begins to clump, then begins to melt, and is finally completely melted.

Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in vegan butter then vegan creamer (we love oat milk creamer) until combined. Place back over heat and continue to whisk until the mixture begins to boil, then leave it boiling for a minute or so before removing from heat again.

Finally, stir in vanilla and salt. Strain the caramel into a heat-safe bowl and set aside for later.

Next, make the cookie dough. Begin by slightly melting 1 1/2 sticks of vegan butter so that only 1/3 to 1/2 of the butter is melted – we always use these buttery sticks in baking for the best results. Mix the butter together so that it’s all one consistency.

Whisk in white and brown sugars, then nondairy milk (we typically use soy milk for baking) and vanilla.

Next, mix in flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.

Finally, mix in dairy-free chocolate chips. You’ll end up with a thick, delicious dough.

You’ll press half the dough into an 8″x8″ pan, bake it for 10 minutes, evenly pour the caramel overtop, then place the remaining dough evenly over the caramel and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

If you like caramel, you’ll absolutely love these bars, we promise.

Want some more dessert inspo?

Check out our vegan desserts board on Pinterest!

And if you like cookies, check out these other recipes:

Peanut Butter S’more Cookies

Classic Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These chocolate chip cookie bars are taken to the next level with a layer of homemade caramel.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 16 bars

Ingredients
  

For the caramel:

  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick / 56 g) vegan butter*, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) nondairy creamer, at room temperature we prefer soy or oat
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the cookie bars:

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 170 g) vegan butter*
  • 3/4 cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp (45 ml) nondairy milk we prefer soy or oat
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour measured correctly**
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup (126 g) vegan chocolate chips

Instructions
 

Make the caramel:

  • Place the sugar into a saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir often, until the sugar begins to clump and melt. Continue to stir until the sugar melts completely.***
  • Remove from heat and add in the butter, whisking until combined. Add the creamer and whisk until combined.****
  • Place back onto low-medium heat, continuously stirring, until it gets bubbly. Stir for another minute or so.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
  • Strain the caramel into a heat-safe bowl. Set aside for later.

Make the cookie dough:

  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large, heat-safe bowl, melt the vegan butter sticks ~1/3 – 1/2 of the way (this takes about 30-45 seconds in our microwave) and then mix it together until it's all one consistency (see pictures above for example).
  • Add the sugars, milk, and vanilla to the butter. Beat until combined.
  • Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch to the wet mixture. Mix until combined.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.

Make the bars:

  • Press ~1/2 the cookie dough into your prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
  • Stir the caramel. If it has thickened too much so that it won't pour smoothly, heat it up in the microwave for ~15 seconds or place back on the stove over low-medium heat until it thins out.
  • Pour the caramel over the partially cooked dough and spread it around evenly.
  • Take small pieces of the remaining dough and flatten them with your hands, then place them evenly over the caramel. Continue until all of the dough is used up.
  • Place back into the preheated oven for another 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown.
  • Let the bars cool completely and then slice into 16 bars.

Notes

*You should use vegan buttery sticks (like Earth Balance) in this recipe rather than butter out of a tub.
**Measure your flour using this method or your bars may turn out dry and crumbly.
***You’ll need some patience for this. Continuously stir the sugar and don’t increase the heat past medium if it’s not melting, it’ll take a few minutes before it begins to melt at all!
****If your sugar seizes when adding one of these ingredients, place it back over low-medium heat and continuously whisk until the ingredients combine, then continue with the next step.
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    • Emily
    • August 6, 2020
    Reply

    Can I use milk instead of creamer since I don’t buy creamer?

      • Six Vegan Sisters
      • September 21, 2020
      Reply

      Yes, we would recommend using a thick milk such as soy or oat!

        • Brianne
        • April 10, 2021
        Reply

        5 stars
        I’ve made these more times than I’d like to admit! They are incredible.

    • Sierra
    • September 22, 2020
    Reply

    Can coconut oil be used instead of butter??

      • Six Vegan Sisters
      • September 23, 2020
      Reply

      We’ve never tried so we can’t say for sure! Let us know if you experiment/how it goes.

      • Julie
      • September 24, 2020
      Reply

      5 stars
      So good! These only lasted a few days in my kitchen because we couldn’t stop snacking on them. Love the caramel and the texture with the cornstarch

    • KELLY
    • December 1, 2020
    Reply

    How long are these goid for? Would love to make and ship to my sister

    • Faun
    • January 27, 2022
    Reply

    Hi! Have you ever made this gluten free? Or as a cookie cake?? Thank you!

    • Emily
    • June 12, 2022
    Reply

    Is there an easier way to cook the sugar? It took me an hour and a half for the sugar to start clumping and then it never fully melted it just got hard.

    • Kam
    • August 20, 2022
    Reply

    5 stars
    Delicious cookie recipe. Made it for a vegan friend and I dont think people would know its vegan. Not too sweet, very nice dessert bar. Would be excellence warm with vanilla ice cream.

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