Peanut Butter, Caramel & Chocolate Chip Gooey Cookie Bars

Peanut Butter, Caramel & Chocolate Chip Gooey Cookie Bars are the ultimate layer bar and a decadent treat that your sweet tooth will love!

I don’t even bother with New Year’s resolutions.  Why?  Because I inevitably have dreams of decadent desserts like these Peanut Butter, Caramel & Chocolate Chip Gooey Cookie Bars.  

These ideas won’t leave my mind until I get in the kitchen and bake them up.  Of course, I could have a little nibble and then cart these desserts off to the neighbors, but I don’t.

There’s a layer of peanut butter cookies topped with dulce de leche caramel and the top layer is chocolate chip cookies baked to gooey perfection.  

I can’t stop eating them.  I cut them into squares and then into small rectangles, but I’m still eating the whole square!  They are just too good to resist.

Just a few more minutes on the treadmill and I’m good to go, or something like that.  The kids are back in school and although it should be back to the regular routine, I think I still have a holiday hangover.  I need to get back in the groove and hit an all new level of efficiency.

I have so much accounting work to do and it is my least favorite part of my job, so I procrastinate.  Baking is so much more fun, don’t you agree?  What’s your least favorite thing to do?

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Table of Contents

Toggle

Peanut Butter, Caramel & Chocolate Chip Gooey Cookie Bars

Author: Milisa

Ingredients

For Peanut Butter Layer

• 5 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup peanut butter crunchy or smooth
• 3//4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Caramel Layer

• 2/3 cup dulce de leche

For Chocolate Chip Layer

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips milk chocolate or semi-sweet

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  Spray a 8 x 8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Prepare Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

• In a mixer bowl add butter and mix until creamy. Add brown sugar, sugar, and egg, beat until combined. Add vanilla and peanut butter, beating until well combined.
  Add flour, soda and salt mixing until combined.
  Press evenly into bottom of baking dish.

For Caramel Layer

• Heat caramel for about 15 seconds in the microwave and pour over peanut butter cookie dough, spreading evenly.

Prepare Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

• In a clean mixer bowl add softened butter, beating until creamy. Add brown sugar, sugar and egg, beating until combined. Add vanilla extract and espresso mixing until well combined.
  Add flour baking soda and salt and mix until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
  Drop by large spoonfuls over caramel layer and spread evenly.
  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is set.
  Remove from oven and set dish on a wire rack to cool.
  Cool completely before slicing.