Description
Decadent salted caramel chocolate chip oat cookie bars blend rich chocolate with silky caramel for an irresistible dessert. Sweet and salty notes invite you to savor each delightful, indulgent bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.25 cups (165 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (95 grams) quick oats
- 1 cup (210 grams) dark brown sugar, packed
- 0.75 cup (130 grams) dark chocolate chips
- 0.5 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 0.75 cup (95 grams) walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
- 0.5 cup (110 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
- 0.75 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 0.25 cup + 2 tbsps (90 grams) water
- 4.5 tbsps unsalted butter, sliced
- 0.25 cup + 2 tbsps (100 grams) heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 hefty pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Caramel Preparation: Melt sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, watching closely until it transforms to a rich amber color. Remove from heat and whisk in butter vigorously, then gradually add heavy cream, vanilla, and kosher salt. Return to heat, incorporate flour to stabilize, and set aside to cool.
- Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, ensuring complete coverage with a light grease.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Whisk together oats, flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl to create a uniform dry mixture.
- Wet Ingredient Fusion: Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth, then blend in eggs and vanilla extract until fully integrated.
- Dough Assembly: Gently combine dry and wet ingredients, carefully folding in semisweet chocolate chips and chopped nuts to maintain dough integrity.
- Initial Baking Layer: Spread two-thirds of the cookie dough across the prepared pan, bake for 8 minutes. Simultaneously, refrigerate remaining dough.
- Caramel and Chocolate Layering: Remove partially baked base, strategically distribute dark chocolate chips, and evenly cascade the prepared caramel sauce.
- Final Dough Arrangement: Artfully scatter remaining dough clusters across the caramel surface.
- Complete Baking: Continue baking for 20-25 minutes until achieving a delicate golden hue.
- Cooling and Finishing: Allow bars to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate to set completely. Remove from pan, sprinkle with sea salt, and slice into precise squares for serving.
Notes
- Caramel Precision: Monitor sugar transformation carefully to prevent burning; color shifts quickly from golden to bitter.
- Temperature Control: Use medium heat and avoid stirring sugar to create smooth, rich caramel without crystallization.
- Butter Integration: Whisk butter vigorously into caramel immediately after removing from heat to prevent separation.
- Chilling Strategy: Refrigerate remaining dough to maintain structural integrity and enhance flavor development during baking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 33 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 17
- Calories: 269
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg