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Salted Caramel Gooey Butter Bars Recipe

★★★★★

4.7 from 136 reviews
  • Author: lilan
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 bars 1x

Description

Salted Caramel Gooey Butter Bars are a decadent dessert featuring a buttery crumb crust topped with a rich, gooey butter batter and drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce. Perfect for caramel lovers, these bars combine a soft, luscious filling with a crisp base and a sweet-savory caramel drizzle for an irresistible treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 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

Gooey Butter Batter

  • 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

  1. Make the Salted Caramel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and then allow the mixture to boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and carefully stir in the butter pieces and the room temperature heavy whipping cream along with salt. Stir continuously until the sauce is smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Prepare the Crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and sugar. Add the cold butter pieces and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend everything until the mixture becomes crumbly. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking pan to form the crust.
  3. Make the Gooey Butter Batter: In a separate bowl, beat the room temperature butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add the light corn syrup and the egg, mixing until fully incorporated. Gradually add the flour and evaporated milk, mixing until smooth and fully combined.
  4. Assemble and Bake: Pour the gooey batter evenly over the prepared crust. Drizzle half of the salted caramel sauce over the top. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the center is slightly jiggly but mostly set.
  5. Cool and Serve: Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, drizzle with the remaining salted caramel sauce before cutting into bars and serving.

Notes

  • Make sure the heavy cream is at room temperature before adding to the caramel to avoid seizing.
  • Use cold butter for the crust to achieve a crumbly, flaky texture.
  • Do not overbake the bars; they should be slightly jiggly in the middle when done.
  • Allow bars to cool fully before slicing to ensure clean cuts.
  • Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: salted caramel, gooey butter bars, dessert bars, caramel recipe, homemade caramel, buttery crust, decadent dessert

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Find it online: https://cooklilan.com/salted-caramel-gooey-butter-bars-recipe/