Gooey Chocolate Caramel Crumb Bars

Indulge in the Ultimate Sweet Treat: Irresistible Chocolate Caramel Streusel Bars

Prepare to be captivated by these extraordinary Chocolate Caramel Streusel Bars, a dessert that masterfully combines rich, buttery flavors with delightful textures. Each bite delivers a harmonious blend of sweet, gooey caramel, decadent chocolate, and a wonderfully crunchy streusel topping, all resting on a tender, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. While the idea of homemade caramel might seem daunting, rest assured that our recipe simplifies the process, making it incredibly accessible for home bakers. These bars are not just a dessert; they’re an experience – sweet, satisfying, and utterly irresistible.

This beloved Caramel Bar Recipe has been a cherished classic since its original sharing in 2011, and it recently received a comprehensive update to enhance its timeless appeal. The improvements ensure an even more flawless baking experience and tantalizing results. During a recent gathering with neighbors, a fresh batch of these buttery caramel squares was introduced, and they were an instant sensation, disappearing from the plate with enthusiastic praise. Their proven popularity underscores why they deserve a permanent spot in your baking repertoire.

Why These Chocolate Caramel Streusel Bars Are a Must-Bake

These aren’t just any dessert bars; they are a masterpiece of flavor and texture, designed to impress and delight. Here’s why you absolutely need to add this recipe to your baking collection:

• A Symphony of Four Exquisite Layers: Imagine a buttery, tender shortbread crust providing the perfect foundation. This is generously topped with a luscious, homemade caramel filling that’s rich and smooth. Scattered over the caramel are semi-sweet chocolate chips, offering delightful pockets of intense cocoa. Finally, everything is crowned with a marvelous, crumbly streusel topping, adding a satisfying crunch and an extra layer of sweetness. Every single bite is a journey through these four distinct yet perfectly harmonious layers.
• Effortless Homemade Caramel: Don’t let the thought of making caramel from scratch intimidate you. This recipe features an incredibly simple homemade caramel that’s a game-changer. Unlike traditional caramel recipes that can be finicky and complex, ours is straightforward and delivers an unbelievably rich, authentic flavor that far surpasses any semi-homemade versions made with store-bought caramel candies. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to achieve such a luxurious filling.
• Unmatched Flavor and Texture in Every Bite: The combination of the crumbly streusel, the melting chocolate, the gooey caramel, and the sturdy shortbread crust creates an unparalleled sensory experience. Each component plays a crucial role, resulting in a dessert that’s not only incredibly delicious but also offers a satisfying variety of textures that keeps you coming back for more.
• A Recipe from a Baking Legend with a Special Twist: This incredible recipe originates from the esteemed Nick Malgieri, a renowned baking guru and celebrated cookbook author, lending it an undeniable stamp of quality and expertise. My personal touch – the addition of chocolate chips – elevates these bars to a new level of decadence, perfectly complementing the rich caramel and buttery crust. It’s a classic enhanced by a touch of chocolatey brilliance.

Expert Tips for Crafting Perfect Caramel Bars

Achieving bakery-quality results at home is easier than you think with these professional tips and tricks. Follow these guidelines to ensure your Chocolate Caramel Streusel Bars turn out flawlessly every time:

• The Power of Salted Butter: PRO-Tip: I consistently use salted butter in my baking recipes, and for good reason. Salt acts as a phenomenal flavor enhancer, crucial for balancing and elevating both sweet and savory dishes. In these caramel bars, the subtle saltiness in the butter doesn’t make the bars taste overtly salty; instead, it beautifully cuts through the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate, creating a more complex and satisfying flavor profile. This small detail makes a significant difference in the overall taste.
• Effortless Pan Prep for Easy Removal: For seamless removal of your baked bars and minimal cleanup, line your baking pan with nonstick foil. The nonstick surface ensures the caramel doesn’t cling to the pan, allowing you to lift the entire batch out cleanly. If nonstick foil isn’t available, regular aluminum foil works perfectly well when sprayed thoroughly with a good quality cooking spray like Pam. Buttered parchment paper is another excellent alternative for a smooth release.
• Chill Your Crust for Superior Texture: PRO-Tip: Don’t skip chilling your shortbread crust before baking. This crucial step is key to achieving a light, tender, and less dense crust. When the tiny, cold pieces of butter in the dough hit the hot oven, they rapidly release steam, creating small pockets of air that result in a wonderfully flaky and delicate texture. Chilling also helps prevent the crust from shrinking during baking, ensuring a consistent base for your delicious layers.
• Mastering the Crumb Topping: When preparing the streusel topping, take your time to gently pinch together some of the crumbs. This intentional step creates larger, more substantial clusters of crumble, which not only add a beautiful rustic appearance but also provide an incredible textural contrast to the soft caramel and chocolate layers below. These varying sizes of crumbs make each bite more interesting and delightful.
• Chocolate Chip Choices: While I’ve found Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips to be perfect for this recipe, feel free to customize the chocolate to your preference. Bittersweet chocolate chips will offer a deeper, more intense cocoa flavor, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the caramel. For those who prefer a milder, creamier chocolate experience, milk chocolate chips can be a delightful alternative. Experiment to find your favorite chocolate combination!
• Perfect Slices and Optimal Serving Temperature: For the cleanest, most precise cuts, it’s essential to chill these caramel bars thoroughly after baking. The cold caramel and chocolate will firm up, making slicing a breeze and preventing any gooey mess. However, for the best flavor and texture, allow the bars to come to room temperature before serving. This allows the caramel to soften slightly and the chocolate to regain its creamy texture, ensuring the most enjoyable indulgence.
• Explore More Bar Cookie Delights: If you adore these bars, you might also fall in love with these Frosted Ginger Bars! They are another terrific bar cookie, especially wonderful to bake and share during the holiday season or any time you crave a warm, spiced treat.

Frequently Asked Questions About Caramel Streusel Bars

Here are some common questions about streusel and homemade caramel, ensuring you have all the information you need for baking success:

More Irresistible Bar Cookie Recipes You Might Love

If you’re a fan of these delightful Chocolate Caramel Streusel Bars, you’ll be thrilled to discover more delicious bar cookie recipes that are perfect for any occasion:

• Strawberry Crumb Bars from Tastes of Lizzy T
• Caramel Apple Streusel Bars
• Ganache Topped Caramel Bars
• Streusel-Topped Date Squares
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
• Raspberry Streusel Bars
• Discover even more Easy Bar Cookie Recipes for every craving!

The Recipe:

Chocolate Caramel Bars with Streusel Recipe

Prep Time
20 minutes

Cook Time
40 minutes

Additional Time
1 hour

Total Time
2 hours

Yield
24 bars

Easy, homemade Chocolate Caramel Bars featuring a rich caramel filling, chocolate chips, and a delightful crumb topping!

Ingredients

For the Buttery Shortbread Crust and Streusel Topping:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

For the Decadent Caramel Filling:

• ½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions for Delicious Chocolate Caramel Bars

1. Prepare Your Baking Pan: Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil for easy cleanup and removal. Alternatively, use regular aluminum foil and thoroughly spray it with a non-stick cooking spray, or use buttered parchment paper.
2. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175°C) to ensure it’s ready for baking.
3. Make the Crust Dough: In a large mixing bowl, beat the 2 sticks of softened butter with the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes about two minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a smooth dough forms and no dry flour remains.
4. Form the Crust and Chill: Press about ¾ of the prepared dough evenly into the bottom of your lined 9×13-inch pan to form the crust. Set aside the remaining ¼ of the dough; this will be used for the streusel topping. Place the pan with the crust in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the caramel filling. This helps create a lighter, flakier crust.
5. Prepare the Caramel Filling: In a medium saucepan, combine all the filling ingredients except for the vanilla extract and chocolate chips (that’s the ½ stick butter, corn syrup, dark brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk). Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, allow it to boil gently for approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until it begins to darken slightly and visibly thicken. You can use a candy thermometer to ensure it reaches 240°F (115°C).
6. Cool the Caramel: Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and let the caramel cool slightly for about 10 minutes. This cooling period helps it thicken further before spreading.
7. Assemble the Bars: Once the caramel has cooled slightly, pour and spread it evenly over the chilled shortbread crust in the pan. Sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips over the caramel layer. Finally, crumble the reserved ¼ of the dough over the chocolate chips to create your streusel topping. You can pinch some pieces together for larger crumbs.
8. Bake and Cool: Bake the bars for about 30 minutes, or until the caramel filling is bubbly around the edges and the streusel topping is golden brown. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once fully cooled, use the foil lining to lift the entire slab out of the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into your desired bar size.
9. Store Your Bars: These Chocolate Caramel Bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or two. For longer freshness, especially in warmer climates, refrigerate them for up to a week. If you won’t be eating them within a week, wrap them well in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving at room temperature for the best texture.

Notes from the Kitchen

This fantastic recipe for Chocolate Caramel Bars has been lovingly adapted from the culinary genius of Nick Malgieri, ensuring a professional touch with home-baker accessibility.

Recommended Baking Essentials

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• Nonstick Foil
• KitchenAid 9-Speed Digital Hand Mixer
• 9 x 13 Baking Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 bar

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 247Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 4g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results.

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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Whether you’re an experienced baker or just starting your culinary journey, these Chocolate Caramel Streusel Bars are a rewarding project that promises delectable results. Their blend of a crispy shortbread base, rich homemade caramel, melty chocolate, and a crunchy streusel topping creates a dessert that’s truly unforgettable. Perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or simply a cozy evening treat, these bars are guaranteed to become a new favorite. So, preheat your oven and prepare to bake a batch of pure bliss!