Salted Caramel Bars are buttery, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! They have a smooth caramel layer sandwiched between a shortbread base and chunky shortbread crumbs.
With this Copycat recipe, you can have Disney EPCOT's Karamell-Küche treats whenever you like!
At Disney EPCOT's Germany, you will find a delightful shop with all things caramel! Among the delicious treats are Chewy Caramel Bars.
They may not appear to be much in comparison to the other treats in the display case, but believe me when I say they are a must-try!
We loved our time at EPCOT in Florida. My favorite part, of course, was the Karamell-Küche store.
That's when I first discovered this gooey caramel treat with its buttery shortbread crust.
Even before we were home, I knew I had to figure out how to make a Copycat version of those caramel bars, and here we are!
These salted caramel bars have the perfect combination of sweet and salty flavors, and they are also SO easy to make.
They are delicious any time of the year, but they are a perfect treat for your holiday cookie platter for the holidays.
If you love dessert bars, you'll love these Pecan Pie Bars, my Hello Dolly Magic Cookie Bars, these Betty Crocker Lemon Oatmeal Bars, and these amazing Christmas Sugar Cookie Pie Bars!
For more caramel cookie inspiration, try these Salted Caramel Cookies, my Twix Cookies, and these Snickerdoodle Sandwiches.
Shopping List
Wet Ingredients. Butter, Vanilla Extract, Heavy Whipping Cream, Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Dry Ingredients. All Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Flaked Sea Salt, Kosher Salt
Candy. Werther's Chewy Caramels
How to Make Salted Caramel Bars
Firstly, preheat your oven to 350 F Degrees. Prepare the baking pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray. Use a 9"x13" Baking Pan or ¼ Size Baking Sheet. Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin to ensure easy mixing.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the Butter and Sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure you're using all the ingredients.
Add the Vanilla Extract and continue to cream together until fully combined.
Gradually add the All Purpose Flour and Kosher Salt to the butter mixture until fully mixed. The dough will be soft and will hold together when pressed, but it shouldn't be dry.
Now that you have your shortbread mixture, make the bottom crust. Press about ⅔ of the shortbread dough into the bottom of the pan.
Make an even layer using your fingers or the back of a spoon.
Bake the bottom layer at 350 F Degrees for 10 minutes.
Creamy Werther's Caramel
Meanwhile, make the caramel filling. Unwrap the Werther's Chewy Caramels into a small bowl and add the Heavy Cream.
A 10.8 ounce bag has about 50 chewy caramels which is perfect for this recipe.
Microwave it all for 30 seconds, and then stir the Caramels and Heavy Cream together. Heat for an additional 30 seconds and stir until smooth. If additional time is needed, add 15 seconds and heat. Stir and repeat.
Pour melted caramel over the crust and carefully spread the caramel evenly over the cookie crust. Sprinkle the top with Coarse Sea Salt, or Sea Salt Flakes (Optional).
Top with the remaining crumbled pieces of shortbread cookie dough on top.
Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the caramel is bubbling hot.
Allow your Chewy Caramel Bars to fully cool before cutting them into squares.
Storage & Freezing
Store cooled caramel bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Salted caramel cookies are best if enjoyed within 2-3 days of being freshly baked.
These bars can be stored in a sealed container and frozen for up to 3 months. Place parchment paper between each cookie bar to prevent them from sticking.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add some chocolate chips to the shortbread mixture, or put some chocolate chips on top before baking for added sweetness.
- Add a drizzle of icing or melted chocolate on the top for decoration and extra sweetness.
- Serve these bars cold with a glass of milk, or slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a homemade caramel sauce for a truly decadent dessert!
Pro Tips
What makes a good cookie? Does it have a soft center and crispy edges, and is it chewy? Each of these makes a great quality cookie. To make perfect cookies every time here are some pro tips.
To find out more, check out my Pro Tips Guide for making the best cookies every time!
Weighing Ingredients.
Baking is a science and adding too much or too little of any of the ingredients will alter the recipe. Weighing and measuring dry ingredients properly makes a world of difference. Investing in a kitchen scale is ideal. When a kitchen scale is not available, make sure to stir and lift ingredients before scooping them into a measuring cup.
| Volume | Ounces | Grams | |
| All Purpose Flour | 1 Cup | 4½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Bread Flour | 1 Cup | 4½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 Cup | 7 Ounces | 200 Grams |
| Brown Sugar | 1 Cup | 7½ Ounces | 213 Grams |
| Confectionary Sugar | 1 Cup | 4 Ounces | 113 Grams |
Baking Sheets.
You can use an ungreased cookie sheet if you prefer. I like to use Parchment Paper to line baking sheets or a Silicone Mat for easy cleanup.
Baking Time.
Every oven heats a little differently. I recommend doing a test batch of 1-3 cookies to test the baking time for a perfectly baked cookie before baking the remaining dough.
Cooling Rack.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Kitchen Scale. I use this for accuracy in measuring and it's a lifesaver when it comes to consistent baking
- Wire Rack for cooling cookies. I like to have at least 2 cooling racks
- Mixing Bowls. A Large Mixing Bowl for mixing ingredients and small and medium mixing bowls for other ingredients
- Cookie Sheet. Most recipes will take 2 batches to bake. It's great to have multiple baking sheets available
- Storage Container. An Airtight Container to store cookies or a Ziploc Bag works great too.
- Additional supplies. Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons along with a silicone spatula are all helpful.
Have you tried this Salted Caramel Bars recipe?
Let me know what you thought of this recipe! Tag @bestcookierecipes on social media so I can see how great your cookies turned out! I would also love to read your comments below. Let me know what you think of these cookie bars. It really does help!
Copycat Salted Caramel Bars from Disney's Epcot Germany
As a Disney Fan, I love enjoying a taste of Disney when I come home. These Salted Caramel Bars are chewy and so good. For personal preferences they are not as buttery as the ones purchased in the park. Many find the excess butter to be a bit much.
For that reason I have cut back on the butter. If you wish a more moist buttery bar add ½ cup additional butter to this recipe. Enjoy!
More Delicious Cookie Bar Recipes
- Eggnog Bars
- Candy Cane Magic Bars
- Snickerdoodle Bars
- Oh Henry Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
Salted Caramel Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter Softened
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar 65g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ teaspoon Salt
- 2 ⅓ cups All Purpose Flour 270g
- Caramel
- 45-50 Caramels 1 bag has about 50 caramels Werther's Chewy caramels
- 3 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
- Flaked Sea Salt Optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat Oven to 350 F Degrees. Spray 9x13 Baking Pan or ⅓ Size Baking Sheet with Non-Stick Cooking Spray.
- In a mixing bowl using a hand mixer or use a larger stand mixer cream Butter and Sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add Vanilla Extract and continue to cream together.
- Gradually add All Purpose Flour and Salt to the butter mixture until combined. The dough will be soft and hold together when pressed but not dry.
- Press about ⅔ of cookie dough on the bottom of the pan using your fingers or the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 350 F Degrees for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, unwrap Werther's Chewy Caramels into a separate bowl and add the Heavy Cream.
- Microwave the bowl for 30 seconds and then stir the Caramels together. Heat for an additional 30 seconds and stir until smooth. If additional time is needed add 15 seconds and heat. Stir and repeat.
- Pour melted caramel over the crust and carefully spread the caramel evenly over the cookie crust. Sprinkle with Sea Salt Flakes (Optional).
- Top with crumbled pieces of cookie dough on top.
- Sprinkle Flaked Sea Salt on top prior to baking (optional)
- Bake at 350 F degrees for 18-22 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the caramel is bubbly hot.
- Allow Chewy Caramel Bars to fully cool before cutting them into squares.
Notes
- Store: Store cooled bars in an airtight container for up to a week. Bars are always best if enjoyed within 2-3 days but will remain fresh for up to a week.
- Freeze: Bars can be frozen individually or together for up to 3 months. Place parchment paper between layers when freezing to prevent sticking.
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
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