Gooey Caramel Cookie Bars Recipe

To make the chocolate chip cookie bars:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a standing mixer or hand mixer, cream together the melted butter and sugars on medium speed until combined.
4. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter with mixer on low speed. Stop when batter is just combined to avoid over-beating.
6. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
7. Add caramels and heavy cream to a medium saucepan over medium heat. As caramels start to melt, whisk together mixture until smooth - about 2 minutes.
8. Press half of the cookie dough into a prepared 9x13" baking pan (we used parchment paper), smoothing the top down with a spatula.
9. Pour the hot caramel over the cookie dough and spread into an even layer, leaving about ½ inch around the border, so you can seal the caramel inside with the top layer of cookie dough.
10. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the caramel and gently spread the dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Start from the outside and work your way to the middle to help seal in the caramel.
11. Bake for 30 minutes at 325°F, or until the top of the bars are a light golden brown.
12. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow the caramel layer to set.

To make the chocolate ganache:

1. Using a small sauce pan, heat up the heavy whipping cream until it begins to simmer.
2. Add 1 (12 ounce) bag of mini chocolate chips to a medium mixing bowl. Pour the hot whipping cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for a minute or two. (We use mini chocolate chips for this step because they melt easier).
3. When chocolate begins to melt, whisk together with hot cream until smooth.
4. Pour chocolate ganache over cookie. If needed, use a spatula to smooth and evenly distribute.
5. Optional - melt a small amount of caramel using the same technique above in cake instructions. Drizzle caramel over the chocolate ganache and run a knife through the caramel to give it a swirl look.
6. Place into the fridge for an hour to allow the ganache to set.