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Salted Caramel Magic Bars
5 from 12 votes

Salted Caramel Magic Bars

Salted Caramel Magic Bars combine a thin buttery graham cracker crust with semi-sweet chocolate and butterscotch chips layered beneath a salted caramel drizzle and sweetened condensed milk baked topping. The bars are rich, sweet, and balanced by a touch of salt in the caramel, creating a complex sweet-and-salty dessert with coconut flakes adding subtle chewiness. These bars offer a chewy texture with pockets of melted chocolate and caramel throughout.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Cooling Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 1 8x8 pan, 9 to 12 generous squares
Calories: 315 kcal
Course: Baked Goods
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup butter melted (I use unsalted, but salted tames some of the sweetness)
  • graham cracker crumbs scant 3/4 cup
  • ½ cup chocolate chips semi-sweet
  • ½ cup butterscotch chips
  • 10 Werther’s Original Soft Caramels unwrapped
  • 1 tablespoon half-and-half or cream
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 cup coconut flakes measured loosely and not packed, sweetened shredded
  • sweetened condensed milk eyeball it, about two-thirds of one 14-ounce can

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the graham crackers crumbs and toss lightly with a fork to coat crumbs evenly.
  4. Turn mixture out into prepared pan, forming an even, smooth, flat crust layer by tapping crumbs into place with a spatula or your fingertips. The amount of crust is skimpy and barely covers the pan, but it’s okay.
  5. Evenly sprinkle with the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips; set aside.
  6. To a small saucepan, add the caramels, half-and-half, and heat over low heat to melt, whisking constantly until melted.
  7. Add the salt, stir to combine, and taste sauce. Depending on preference for saltiness, add more salt to taste. It’s okay if the sauce reads on the salty side because many of the other ingredients in the recipe are very sweet and it balances out.
  8. Evenly drizzle the salted caramel over the chocolate and butterscotch chips.
  9. Evenly sprinkle the coconut.
  10. Evenly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the coconut.
  11. Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around edges and the center is mostly set. Keep an extremely close eye on bars in the final minutes of baking because coconut can go from raw-looking to burnt in one minute. I’ve baked the bars in different ovens and have baked for as long as 27 minutes and as short as 20 minutes; watch your bars and not the clock.
  12. Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool in pan for at least 2 hours, or overnight, before slicing and serving. Bars firm up as they cool. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  13. Adapted from Seven Layer Bars

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 315kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 42g (14%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Cholesterol 29mg (10%) Sodium 184mg (8%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 37g (74%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 8x8 pan, 9 to 12 generous squares

Amount Per Serving

Calories 315

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 315kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 16g 25%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 184mg 8%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 37g 74%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.