butter-caramel bars

Truth be told.
I was going to call these caramel-oat bars.
But the word oat makes it sound boring, healthy, good for you. Zzzzzz....
So yes, these have oat in there as a foundation, a texture, a hold the bar together thing-a-ma-jigee.
The real show stealers of this recipe are the amount of butter, salt and caramel.
That's like the perfect foundation of a good bar.  Right?
We have chewy middle, and crisp outside--heavenly.
I used those little mini caramel bits, not the big chunks of caramel as I wanted the buttery taste of
the cookie batter to stand out , more so than giant chunks; one does like a hint of caramel in the background? Yes?
Plus the tiny amount of caramel also added a nice chew-factor in the middle.
If you're looking for a good solid bar, a truly tasty one that everyone will love--I know that sounds like everyone else, but these truly are the type of bars you can make for whatever last minute party/function you have to attend with food in hand.
They aren't all dressed up with fancy swirls, chips, sugar, sprinkles...this cookie dough base is literally I tell you so good on its own that it doesn't need a lot of fillers or add in's.
You'll see.
 
Next time I make these, I think adding a nice layer of crushed salted pecans might be delish.


I know I try to bring you one bowl easy recipes, this one isn't one bowl, but two which, hey, is just as easy.


Normally I don't like this kind of caramel because it's just so sweet, but these little mini's are perfect
for adding just a little bit of sweet caramel flavor.
(they are also fabulous in hot espresso too!)


They are chewy in the middle with a nice crisp cookie outside. Really good! Promise!



caramel-butter bars
based on my salted nutella bars
print recipe

1 ½  cups cake flour
1 cup bread flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 ts cinnamon
1 ts baking soda
1 ts baking powder
1 ¼  ts coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup mini caramel bits

cook notes:
I would definitely recommend using a couple handfuls of salted pecans in this.
I did not add a lot of caramel bits to this, as I wanted a gentle flavor. But feel free to adjust to your liking.
Keep in mind the cookie dough base is very tasty as is and doesn’t need a lot of add in’s or fillers.

Mix the flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted (or by hand like me) cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.   Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Next add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Cover bowl the dough with plastic wrap and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  We want this nice and sealed so not a lot of air gets in.  Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight (mine went 2 days just fine).
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.
Divide dough into 2 piles: 2/3 and 1/3.
Take the 2/3 dough and line the bottom of the baking pan with it, making sure to get all the corners, making sure there aren’t any holes or gaps in the dough.
Spread a layer of caramel bits, do not spread it to the edges!
Take the 1/3 remaining dough and in clumps, place on the top. Also make sure to take any dough and close up any gaps you see in the corners.
Don’t push the crumble down into the dough, just leave it on the top—it’s ok to have spaces in the crumble—gaps are fine, it will help the top bake up nice and crisp.
Bake until golden brown but still soft, roughly 25 – 30 minutes.
Look for golden brown edges, non-jiggly middle.
The middle will be a bit soft.
You really have to let this cool at least an hour before slicing.
Slice with a sharp knife.