Salted Caramel Gooey Butter Bars Recipe
These Salted Caramel Gooey Butter Bars feature a buttery crumb crust topped with a rich, moist filling and homemade salted caramel sauce. The perfect blend of sweet and salty flavors results in an irresistibly gooey dessert bar that’s great for any occasion.
- 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: Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to boil until it turns an amber color. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the butter and room temperature heavy cream until smooth. Add salt and set aside to cool.
- Prepare the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press evenly into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Mix the Filling: In another bowl, beat the room temperature butter with sugar until fluffy. Add the corn syrup and egg and mix until combined. Gradually add the 1 cup flour and evaporated milk, mixing well to achieve a smooth batter.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the filling batter evenly over the prepared crust. Drizzle half of the cooled salted caramel over the top. Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until the center is slightly jiggly but mostly set.
- Cool and Finish: Allow bars to cool completely in the pan. Drizzle the remaining salted caramel over the cooled bars before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients where specified for better mixing and texture.
- Be careful when making caramel as the hot sugar mixture can cause burns.
- Cooling the bars completely helps the filling set properly for neat cutting.
- You can store leftovers covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Keywords: Salted caramel bars, gooey butter bars, caramel dessert, homemade caramel, rich dessert bars, easy dessert recipe
