These Salted Caramel Butter Bars are the perfect mix of rich, buttery shortbread and gooey, salted caramel. They’re soft, crumbly, and irresistibly sweet with just the right touch of salt to balance every bite.
Calories:
Author: Sandra Myers
Ingredients
For the Crust and Topping:
1pound2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1cupgranulated sugar
1½cupspowdered sugar
2tablespoonsvanilla extract
4cupsall-purpose flour
For the Caramel Filling:
114 oz bag caramel candies, unwrapped (or 2 cups soft caramel bits)
⅓cupheavy cream
½ to 1teaspooncoarse sea saltadjust to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy lifting.
In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla, then gradually mix in flour until a soft dough forms.
Press half to two-thirds of the dough evenly into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
While the crust bakes, melt caramel candies with heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
Pour the warm caramel over the baked crust and sprinkle with sea salt.
Crumble the remaining dough on top, leaving small gaps for the caramel to show through.
Bake for another 25–30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden.
Let the bars cool completely in the pan. For clean cuts, chill for 1 hour before slicing. Lift out using the parchment and cut into neat squares.