Caramel Pecan Bars
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
25 mins
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Cook Time
22 mins
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Total Time
47 mins
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Servings
24 bars
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Course
Dessert
Caramel Pecan Bars
Description
These bars start with baking a base crust made from a blend of all-purpose flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, melted butter, and vanilla extract. The crust is pressed into a prepared foil-lined baking pan. After an initial bake, a mix of semisweet chocolate chips and chopped pecans is added over the warm crust. Separately, caramel candies are gently melted with heavy cream until smooth, then poured over the nut and chocolate layer. The remaining crust mixture is crumbled atop the caramel. The assembled bars return to the oven for a final bake, allowing the caramel to meld with the layers.
The result is a bar with a crisp bottom, a rich caramel center with nutty flavor, and sweet chocolate accents. The foil lining and spray make for easy removal and cleanup. These bars are ideal for dessert, snacks, or potluck treats.
Ingredients
- 1 bag caramels 11 ounces (about 35 caramels), unwrapped, individually wrapped
- 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups butter melted, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line (1) 9x13 inch baking pan with foil, leaving about 1 inch of the foil extending over the edges of the pan. The extra foil will create handles that you can use to lift the caramel bars from the pan. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set pan aside.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir together the melted butter and vanilla extract. Add butter and vanilla mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Press half the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form a crust layer.
- Bake crust in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove and sprinkle crust with with chocolate chips and pecans. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture on top of the caramel.
- Place caramel bars back into preheated oven and bake for an additional 13-15 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack and cool completely. Once bars are cooled to room temperature, I recommend placing the pan into the refrigerator for a couple of hours. This will enable you to cut the bars with ease. Allow bars to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- If individually unwrapping caramel pieces is inconvenient, the recipe can use an 11-ounce bag of caramel bits as a substitute for easier melting.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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