Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars

salted caramel chocolate bars

Can you see the yummy caramel dripping out of the sides? YUM!

I’ve been so anxious to post this recipe because it’s just so darn good.  It’s gooey, salty & sweet, and the crust adds another layer of texture.  It’s just yummy!  I baked these for the Bake for Hope bake sale benefiting breast cancer research.  They sold out and were a hit!  I was inspired by my friend Kelly’s to die for Carmelita Bars.  Recently, my siblings and cousins tried Kelly’s bars and they were in love.  They insisted that we make her sinfully rich Carmelita Bars and of course they disappeared by the end of the day.  They ranked these bars as one of the top five desserts of all time, granted they are between the ages of 10-15 and “of all time” to them is really not that long!  The Carmelita Bars are so delicious and decadent that you only need a little bite.   Many kids now a days are learning more about food and are more conscience of the ingredients that go into it what they eat (thank you parents, teachers & Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution!).  The kids were shocked about how much not so good for you things were in something that taste so good.  I reworked the recipe and added another layer of flavor:  salt.  The coarse salt definitely helps balance out the bar’s gooey sweetness and enhances the flavor of the bar.   The salted caramel chocolate bars are definitely rich, but aren’t quite as indulgent as the original Carmelita Bars.   My brothers & sister still rank my new version as top 5 desserts, so it’s a winner!  The kicker is the recipe is so easy!

My sister and two cousins helped out in the kitchen.  (While the other kiddos played on the PS3 – when they come they bring over their own gaming console – so we’ll have 3 set up at one time – and my husband is usually playing with them!)  These three made sure that they got first dibs on the finished dessert!  I love cooking and baking with my family – especially the kids.  They are so much fun!  (They told me they would bake so I could take pictures of them to post on my blog – that way they can be famous – haa,haa)  I guess everyone has to start somewhere…a food blog it is!

baking salted caramel chocolate bars

My sister & cousin {Quynh + Tiffany}

mixing, salted caramel chocolate bars

My sister & cousin {Quynh + Tim} Don't you just love Tim's shirt? Tim is mixing it by hand here, but I've also used my kitchen aid to make the crust.

salted caramel chocolate bars collage

*note* the whole surface of the pan is covered in chocolate because the kids insisted on adding more than 1 1/4 C of chips. If you follow the recipe your pan should not look like this.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars

I seriously want to gobble up those bars off the screen...the salt totally enhances the flavor & balances out the gooey caramel/chocolate goodness.

Enjoy!!

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41 comments

  1. Kate says:

    These look absolutely amazing! I’m having a super sweet tooth literally at this moment (eating raw cookie dough while catching up on blogs!). These are on my to bake list. YUM!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  2. Tri says:

    wow this looks really good! i’m kinda sad that you didnt save any for me!!! i think i’m going to try something new with this recipe though….protein powder!!!

  3. Anne Coffey says:

    yum yum yum – and how much fun with your siblings to help out !
    Thanks for sharing

  4. kitchenrunway says:

    Erin: Yay! Glad to hear the bars were a hit!

    Mary: Thank you!!

    TripleScoop: It was a lot of fun – can’t beat quality time with the fam.

    Kate: Thanks! Can’t wait until you try them!

    Tri: Protein powder – that’s something new. =)

    Susan: Fun! I hope your small group enjoys it and will come back and get the recipe! =)

  5. kitchenrunway says:

    Frank: Glad you were able to share them with your small group tonight & that they enjoyed it!! Yay!!!

  6. Lisa L says:

    I’ve made these twice now, and they are amaaaazinggg. My husbands family goes nuts for them!

  7. kitchenrunway says:

    Lisa: Yay!! Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m so thrilled that your husband’s family loves them! Woothoo!

  8. kitchenrunway says:

    The Duo Dishes: haa, haa very true…it’s hard to resist the sweet & salt combo.

  9. Tara says:

    Just made these tonight. It is like eating a candy bar!! Satisfies every craving in one but oh so rich! I may have to give the rest away or I’m in trouble with the scale! Thanks for a new keeper Tararecipe in my file box!

  10. kitchenrunway says:

    Tara: Thanks for trying out the recipe…I definitely know what you mean– it’s so indulgent yet…you can’t help but eat more =) It’s a dessert you have to share or give away…otherwise it would just be too tempting!

    Nikki: So thoughtful to make for the office! Haa, haa all well – you can always make them another batch later! =) Glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks for visiting!

  11. kitchenrunway says:

    Adrienne: Yay! Glad you’re trying it out this weekend – can’t wait to hear all about it! =)

  12. g-ma says:

    I made these last night because I didn’t have a chance to try them at the Eat My Blog bake sale. They are amazing! I think I’ll add less caramel next time. I made my own, and had about 3 cups, which is more than in the recipe, and the caramel ended up everywhere–it’s a bit crazy, ha. But apparently just the right amount of crazy, because my co-workers are going ga-ga over them! As one said, “these are dangerous good.” Awesome recipe 🙂

  13. kitchenrunway says:

    Hi G-ma!! They can definitely be “dangerous good”! So happy that you tried the recipe. Homemade caramel – yum – I’m sure it was amazing by itself! Thanks for stopping by and looking forward to the next bake sale!

  14. Mary says:

    Hi – I really loved your recipe and samples you brought to Camp Blogaway… actually, I went back for seconds of this dish! I will definitely be making this one myself – thanks for sharing!

  15. kitchenrunway says:

    Mary: Thank you so much – I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Can’t wait ’til you make them!

    Diane: Thank you!! It was so good to see you again! Your red heart cookies are too cute!! No wonder it’s your trademark! 🙂

  16. kitchenrunway says:

    Thanks Sue!!

    Cynthia: So glad you got to try them at Camp Blogaway! Excited that you’re going to make them! 🙂

  17. Alala says:

    I just made these for a bake sale tomorrow. I could wait for them to cool, had to have a taste. AWESOME! LOVE THE SWEET/SALTY-NESS. I’m sure they will sell out fast! Thanks for the great recipe!

  18. kitchenrunway says:

    Alala: I hope they were a hit at the bake sale!! I’m so glad you liked the combination of sweet & salty! Take care and thank you!! 🙂

  19. Wendy Hou says:

    Made these today, so easy and delicious! I used dulce de leche caramel and pink Himalayan salt … Scrumptious! So glad I found your blog, love it!!

  20. kitchenrunway says:

    Hi Wendy! That sounds like some wonderful ingredients… dulce de leche caramel & pink Himalayan salt! YUM! Glad you found the blog too!! Take care!

  21. R says:

    I JUST made these and they turned out amazing! I had to cut into a corner while they were still warm b/c I just couldn’t wait until they were cooled lol. Thanks for posting this recipe!!! 🙂

  22. kitchenrunway says:

    Recipes: Thank you!

    R: I’m glad you enjoyed them!

    herb: Thanks!

    Sarah: Thank you for trying the recipe! They’re so easy to make and definitely addicting!

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