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If there was ever a Friday treat, this is IT.
Hello… do you see that caramel dripping out of the center of these cookie bars? I mean, oh my gosh.
Nothing better! And on a Friday too, muahahaha!!
So here’s the deal. I am going to attempt to keep today’s post to the point because I am hopping on a plane in less than twenty-four hours to head off to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Asher… and somehow most of the fam in tow as well. Don’t ask me how six out of my nine family members also got included in this “sister’s only” trip, but they did! It’s cool though, cause I kind of like my family, and I never ever get to hang out with them as much as I’d like, so it’s a much-needed trip.
A little bummed about how the weather forecast is looking for Orlando though, like where the heck is the sunshine?!? Someone tell me that scattered thunderstorms are just the norm and that most of the day will be great.
Ugh.
Oh well, I am so excited to finally be taking Asher to Harry Potter World. She’s literally been talking about it all summer long, and with October arriving tomorrow, it’s the perfect time for some wizarding world fun!
And fellow Disney goers out there? What MUST we do/see/eat while we are there? We aren’t planning on hitting any other parks other than Harry Potter, but if there’s something we REALLY must see, our passes do take us to Universal as well. So let me know!! I’ll be posting all over Instagram and snapchat if you guys want to follow along! 🙂
Ok, man, already way off topic there!
Sorry!
Ok, let’s talk about these Mocha Caramel Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. These incredibly chocolatey, incredibly gooey… and just incredibly over the top bars. Here’s how they break down layer by layer…
…start things off with a simple chocolate chip cookie base, BUT spike it with a little instant coffee for the perfect mocha cookie bar. If you didn’t already know this, chocolate and coffee are the perfect paring.
…next comes the caramel. I don’t really feel like I need to talk about the caramel, it kind of speaks for itself, but um, I’m still going to. It’s caramel season, and guys, this might just be the best way out there to make use of it. I mean, cookies + caramel + salt. life changing.
…finally, the CRUNCH, otherwise known as semi-sweet chocolate + Rice Krispies. Yes, more chocolate, and yes, it’s everything, literally… it’s the glue that holds these bars together.
So you see? Kind of a simple idea, but yet sooo good. Caramel really just doesn’t get any better.
On little note on these bars…they are messy, but in the best way possible. The cookie base is meant to baked so that the center of the bars is slightly underdone. The caramel is meant to be the perfect state of not too runny, but definitely not solid either. These two components create one seriously mess bar, BUT trust me, it’s worth every sticky caramel smear.
OH, and how fun would these be for a Halloween party? I don’t know why, but they kind of remind me of a homemade candy bar…maybe it’s that caramel center and chocolate layer on top?
Kind of like a snickers? But in cookie form?
YES, that’s it! And better too because homemade is always best, duh.
Mocha Caramel Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
Servings: 20 Bars
Calories Per Serving: 478 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4-5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
Salted Caramel (or 1 1/2 cups store-bought salted caramel sauce)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream + more if needed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon Kahlua optional
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla and instant coffee, beat until combined and creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined. Stir in 2 cups chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough out in the prepared baking pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, just until set in the center. Allow to cool.
- To make the caramel, in a large, dry, deep, heavy pot, cook the sugar over moderately high heat, stirring constantly with a heat proof rubber spatula until the sugar is melted and turns a golden caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool 5 minutes. Slowly add the chunks of butter in one by one, whisk until combined. The caramel will bubble, this is ok. Now slowly add the cream and then whisk until combined. Return the pot to moderate heat and cook the mixture, stirring until the caramel has thickened, about 5 minutes, or until the caramel reaches 235-240 degrees F. on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat, if using, add the Kahlua + a pinch of salt. Let cool 5 minutes and then pour the caramel over the cookie bars. Let the bars set at least 30 minutes.
- Melt the remaining 2-3 cups chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double broiler. Sprinkle the Rice Krispies over the caramel layer and then pour the melted chocolate over top. Place the bars in the fridge to set, about 15-20 minutes. Cut the bars into squares. Serve at room temperature. Store in the fridge or in a cool, dark spot in your kitchen.
Cheers to Friday, caramel cookie bars… and to the start of OCTOBER! 🙂
Don’t miss the minion ride! Hilarious!
Will definitely try to make it! Thanks Maura!
I HAVE to try these! By the way, your photos are incredible!! xx
Thank you, Ali! I hope you love them!
Have an awesome time with Asher Tieghan! What a great big sister you are! Thanks for sharing these crazy delicious looking bars. That caramel! OMG! These are destined to be a favorite!
I am thinking we will have a blast!! Thank you so much Mary Ann and I am so happy you are loving these!
These look INCREDIBLE! The sweets lover in me is dying to try these out 🙂
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
I hope you love them when you get a chance to make them, Brooklyn! Thank you!
Girl, you sure know how to make us DROOL!!!!! 😛 That oozing caramel is beyond crazy! And all of the components in that bars are so sinfully good! I wish I have that in my hand like right now! This looks so good I feel like snatching that from my screen! So so excited for your trip to Orlando! That’s just about right though, whenever we were in FL, it seemed like it has to rain everyday. 😉 Wish I could tell you where else to go there but Harry Potter wasn’t even there yet when we went there years ago and I’m sure there’s a lot of changes already LOL. Enjoy your trip, Tieghan! 😉
Haha so happy you are loving these Sheila!! I am so excited for Orlando its unreal haha! Thanks so much! ?
As always setting the bar high with your photography Tieghan. Nice job, these look great!
Thank you so much Greg!
These bars looked so amazing I needed to make them right now…so I did.
I followed the directions and cooked the caramel till 325F…which I didn’t realize till too late is HARD CRACK. At hard crack, the caramel will not ooze when cold…it will crack.
Was that the intent? That is what I have. I am thinking the caramel should cook to soft ball at the most…250F.
Did I miss something in the recipe?
Hi Kim, I am SO SORRY. That is my mistake, I wrote the wrong temperature. I feel so horrible!! I am so sorry you have hard caramel. Adjusting the recipe now. Again, SO sorry!
Thanks for clarifying. I’ll let you know how the Mocha Caramel Extra Super Duper Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars turn out. Might be a new taste sensation. 😉
Ok. The super crunchy ones are very good, but very hard to cut. Also, I baked the brownie part for 18 mins and they were dry. I will be trying these again, but so far, the Mr. is a fan.
Oh my GOODNESS! These are absolutely beautiful/stunning/everythingineedrightnow
Have so much fun on your trip! Can’t wait to see all those pictures 🙂
Thank you Chelsea, I am sure we will have an awesome trip!!
Amazing photos! Make me wanna lick the screen! 🙂
Haha thank you so much Julia!
Oh my! That oozy caramel is divine!
Thanks Hannah!
Oh, as for the rain, that’s normal for the forecast to say that all summer in Florida! Don’t worry. 🙂 It’s very rare for it to rain the whole time. Usually what happens is you’ll get afternoon thunderstorms. Just go on inside rides or eat lunch & venture back out when the weather clears! I second bringing ponchos just in case.
Hi! I love your blog, and I’m here to help for this weekend haha! Harry Potter is one section of Universal, and Disney World is a whole ‘nother park/company. So! You have Universal tickets which gets you into that park (not sure if you have park to park passes but I’m guessing you do). To get into Disney World you need separate tickets because they’re different parks entirely. There are two Universal parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) and there are four Disney parks. Both Universal parks have a Harry Potter section, and if you have park-to-park passes you can take the Hogwarts Express between them!
Universal is a blast! Aside from the Harry Potter stuff I love the Men in Black Ride, the Mummy Ride, and Spiderman! Oh, and the Jurassic Park ride is a blast. You will get wet on that! The Harry Potter ride in Islands of Adventure has a single rider line, so if the line is SUPER long and you don’t mind riding separately, you can skip the majority of the line by doing that. Have fun!!!
Also these cookie bars look amazing & now I need to go have some of the chocolate I keep in my desk for when you post delicious desserts and give me cravings. 🙂
Oh my thank you so much for this!! So helpful and I will have to share this with the fam! Also so happy you are loving my recipes haha thanks Lauren!
Just a question: What if, instead of Rice Krispies, you used crushed pretzels? I was already salivating by the time I came to this part of the recipe and pretzels jumped to mind.
I think pretzels will be great! Let me know if you have questions! 🙂
I loved the train! And the butter beer! WOW!
We did all of Universal in a day. We were staying at Cabana Bay, which is a Universal hotel, so we got to go to the park early. NO LINES! We rode everything twice. We also went during the week, so it wasn’t as packed. It was so amazing. Harry Potter world was unreal.
Ah this is so awesome to hear! I am so so excited!! Thanks so much Loni!
Get at least 3 Butter Beers each per day! You know, one for breakfast, lunch and dinner? They are MIND BLOWING!
So I’ve heard, and I can’t wait!! Thanks so much Amanda!!