Description
Better Than Anything Bars are a deliciously rich dessert featuring a buttery cookie base, gooey caramel peanut butter sauce, and melty chocolate chips. Perfect for satisfying sweet cravings with a combination of textures and flavors in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Bars:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Sauce:
- 14 ounces caramels, unwrapped (or caramel bits)
- 5 ounces canned evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 9×13 inch baking pan by spraying it with a non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream them together until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. Then mix in the vanilla extract until just combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix until fully combined to form the cookie dough.
- Mix in Chocolate Chips: Stir in the chocolate chips by hand or with your mixer on a low setting to evenly distribute them.
- Bake Bottom Layer: Place half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Bake this layer for 10 minutes until slightly set.
- Prepare Caramel Sauce: While the bottom layer bakes, combine the caramels and evaporated milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at power level 5 for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth and combined. If needed, add more time until fully melted.
- Add Peanut Butter: Stir the peanut butter thoroughly into the warm caramel mixture until smooth and well blended.
- Assemble Layers: Spread the caramel peanut butter sauce evenly over the baked cookie dough layer in the pan.
- Add Remaining Dough: Drop the remaining cookie dough by teaspoons full on top of the caramel layer, distributing evenly and gently pressing to cover some of the caramel.
- Bake Final Bars: Bake the assembled bars for 20 minutes or until the top dough is golden brown and fully cooked through.
Notes
- Use softened butter for easier creaming with sugars.
- Stir chocolate chips gently to prevent breaking them.
- Microwave the caramel mixture in intervals to avoid burning.
- Peanut butter can be substituted with nut butters of choice for different flavors.
- Ensure the caramel layer is spread evenly to prevent mixing with bottom dough.
- Let bars cool completely before cutting to allow layers to set properly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
