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Family Life

It's cookie time! Try these EASY salted caramel bars

by

Lindsay Weiss

posted in Life

Yay, it’s DECEMBER! Which means it’s totally fine for me to start talking about my favorite subject…

COOKIES!

I wanted to give this recipe to you early, because it’s the one you may use the most during this busy, busy month. It’s a shortcut recipe — which means it takes a little help from the store — but it’s the one I keep turning to for last minute events or “Oops! I forgot” moments.

These are a tender sugar cookie bar, jazzed up with a filling of sea salt caramel chips and prepared caramel topping. They are sweet and salty, soft and crunchy — really just an explosion of flavors in a very small bite. I cut these small because they are rich and good. I used a packaged sugar cookie mix as the base for the bar and I don’t regret it one bit because it comes together in just a few minutes.

I found the Hershey’s Sea Salt Caramel Chips in my regular grocery store, and they’re really what started my wheels turning. (No, this is not a promo for them; I just bought them and really liked the flavor.) If you can’t find them in your regular store, you can get them on Amazon. They are pretty important to the recipe, so don’t skip ’em.

These come together incredibly quickly, but look bakery quality (and taste even better). They’re a must-have for this busy season, so pin ’em now and you’ll thank me later!

p.s. If you’re looking for 12 Days of Cookies, it will be over here on my blog, Sugar Mama, starting Friday, Dec. 1!

Easy Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

1 1/2 lbs. packaged sugar cookie mix, divided (typically 1 & 1/2 pouches of sugar cookie mix — don’t worry you’ll make these more than once and use up that extra 1/2!)
13 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and divided
1 egg
10 oz. bag Hershey’s Sea Salt Caramel Chips
3/4 cup prepared caramel ice cream topping (the best quality you can find)
1 ½ tsp. Fleur de Sel (or coarse sea salt)

Using a 9X13 pan, line with aluminum foil. Spray with baking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine one 1 lb. bag of sugar cookie mix, 8 tbsp. of butter and one egg. Use an electric mixer to combine until dough is formed. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 and bake for 10 minutes. Dough should be slightly golden. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt caramel chips. Drizzle caramel topping on top. Let sit five minutes to “melt”. Use a spoon to spread evenly.

In a separate bowl, combine HALF of a 1 lb. bag of sugar cookie mix and 5 tbsp butter. Use a fork and blend together until coarse crumbs appear. Sprinkle on top of caramel topping and bake near the top of the oven for 12-15 minutes.

If you want top a little more golden, broil for 30 seconds watching very carefully. Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Makes 36 bars.

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