Salted Caramel Gooey Butter Bars Recipe
These Salted Caramel Gooey Butter Bars combine a buttery crumb crust with a rich and creamy filling, topped with luscious homemade salted caramel. Perfectly balanced between sweet and salty, these bars are indulgent, gooey, and an ideal treat for dessert lovers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Salted Caramel
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into tablespoon-sized pieces)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (room temperature)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces)
Filling
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
Instructions
- Make the Salted Caramel: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar. Stir gently until sugar dissolves, then allow the mixture to boil without stirring until it turns an amber color. Remove from heat and quickly add butter and room temperature heavy cream, stirring until the caramel is smooth. Stir in salt. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare the Crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut in the cold butter pieces using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking pan to form the crust.
- Make the Filling: In another bowl, beat the room temperature butter with 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy and light in color. Add corn syrup and the egg, beating until fully combined. Gradually mix in 1 cup flour and evaporated milk until smooth.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the filling batter evenly over the prepared crust in the baking pan. Drizzle half of the salted caramel sauce over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until the center is slightly jiggly but mostly set.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool in the pan completely. Once cooled, drizzle the remaining salted caramel over the top before cutting into bars and serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for the filling to ensure smooth mixing.
- Allow the salted caramel to cool slightly before drizzling to avoid it running off the bars.
- Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for best freshness.
- For cleaner cuts, chill bars before slicing.
Keywords: Salted caramel bars, gooey butter bars, caramel dessert, easy baking, dessert bars
