How To: Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

Gooey, chocolate goodness that is a crowd-pleaser every time. These bars

are the best and very simple to make that can be accomplished in a few steps.

Gather materials - rubber spatula, 9x13 baking pan, medium saucepot, non-stick cooking spray, sweetened condensed milk 14oz, 2 ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookie dough packages 16.5 oz, caramel bits 11 oz, sea salt.

The first step is to set the cookie dough out on a counter to let it soften so it is easier to put in the pan. This needs to be done otherwise the cookie dough will not spread out smoothly to create the base of the bars. Do not skip this step. Once the cookie dough is ready, grab the non-stick cooking spray and the 9x13 pan. Spray the PAM all over the inside of the pan to prevent sticking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take one and 1/4th packages of cookie dough out of the package and place it into the sprayed pan. ¾ of the second package of cookie dough should remain. With freshly washed hands, use fingers to press the cookie dough flat in the pan in one even layer and cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Grab a medium saucepot and place it on a small burner on the stove. Turn the burner on medium-high heat

Open the bag of caramel bits and pour into the medium saucepot. Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it into the medium saucepot. Stir the mixture with the rubber spatula frequently till everything is melted together and has a creamy look.

If the mixture looks like the first picture, it is not done. Let it keep melting until all the bits are gone.

Pour caramel mixture over cookie dough base - Watch the video for reference.

With the remaining ¾ package of cookie dough, make small tablespoon-sized clumps and place them randomly over the caramel mixture. It should not look like a nice layer, it should look chunky

put the pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. To test to see if it is done, take a hot pad holder and open the oven. Take the hand with the hot pad holder and jiggle the pan slightly. If the center is still moving, wait an extra couple of minutes until the center is set.

Once bars are set, using a hot pad holder, take the pan out of the oven and set it on the stovetop to cool down. Make sure to turn off the oven. When the bars have cooled, sprinkle the desired amount of sea salt on top of the bars. Cut into squares and serve!