Caramel Peanut Butter Bars Recipes

CARAMEL-PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in candies. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat caramels and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Stir in peanut butter. Heat to boiling. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup peanuts. Spread over warm cookie base. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Spread frosting evenly over filling. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Combine sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat at low speed until dough forms.
• Press dough evenly into ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over dough. Bake 15-20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned around edges.
• Place caramels and half & half in 2-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6-11 minutes or until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
• Drizzle caramel mixture evenly over pecans; sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cool completely at room temperature. Cut into bars.

CARAMEL PEANUT BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; stir in butter. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. , In a heavy saucepan or microwave, melt caramels with cream, stirring often. Sprinkle chocolate chips and peanuts over the crust; top with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13" pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. The foil is needed here because the caramel can get sticky!
• Cream butter, peanut butter, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg, vanilla, milk, and salt and baking soda. Mix until combined. Slowly add flour and mix until dough comes together.
• Press half of dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. The dough will be sticky - spray your hands with cooking spray first. It will be a very thin layer of dough!
• Bake the bottom layer of cookie dough for 10 minutes.
• While the dough is baking, make the caramel.
• Place the heavy whipping cream and butter in a heavy bottomed 2Qt sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add unwrapped caramels one at a time. Stir often until the caramel is melted and smooth. Sift the flour into the caramel (if you have a small mesh strainer, just place the flour in it and tap the side of the strainer until all the flour falls through). Stir until the flour is incorporated. Turn heat all the way to low until the bottom layer is done cooking, stirring often so it doesn't burn. Right before taking the cookie out of the oven, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• After 10 minutes, remove the bottom layer from the oven and pour the caramel over the top. Try to leave a 1/2" border around the cookie base. If the caramel touches the edges of the pan it will boil and stick.
• Break off pieces of the remaining dough and flatten between your hands. Lay on the top of caramel. Continue until the entire pan is covered, pressing the edges to seal them together. A little of the caramel may peek through, that's okay.
• Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the bars start to get golden on the top. Cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or caramel will get too hard to eat.

PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and egg; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until no longer crumbly. Stir in peanut butter cups. , Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cornstarch, caramel topping and peanut butter; stir until smooth. Cook over low heat for 25-27 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil; stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in peanuts. , Spread evenly over warm crust. Bake 6-7 minutes longer or until almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Spread with frosting; sprinkle with peanuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting. Store in the refrigerator.

SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BARS

Steps:

• Butter a 9 1/2-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet or quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides. Then butter the parchment.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch, kosher salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down the sides as needed. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until the dough is just combined; do not overwork.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out as evenly as possible with a silicone spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, then use your hands to press and flatten the dough into a smooth even layer. Pull back the plastic wrap and use a fork to prick the dough all over. Cover again and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Uncover the dough and bake, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through, until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Combine the caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture over the shortbread and spread it evenly. Immediately sprinkle with the peanuts and a large pinch of flaky salt. Gently push down on the topping to make sure it sticks to the caramel. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Use the parchment overhang to gently lift the shortbread and slide it onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment and cut into 24 squares. Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

PEANUTTY CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave caramels, water and 1/2 cup peanut butter on high for 45 seconds; stir. Microwave 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer or until melted. Add cereal and peanuts; toss to coat. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. pan; set aside., In another microwave-safe bowl, melt chips, butter and remaining peanut butter on high for 20-50 seconds; stir until smooth. Spread over cereal mixture. Refrigerate before cutting.

PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan; spray with cooking spray. Make peanut butter cookie dough as directed on pouch. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan.
• Make chocolate chip cookie dough as directed on pouch. Drop dough by spoonfuls over peanut butter cookie dough. Using metal spatula, evenly spread dough to cover peanut butter cookie dough layer.
• Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and edges are set. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat caramels and whipping cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 to 10 minutes or until caramels are melted. Remove from heat. Spread over warm cookie base. Bake about 5 minutes or until caramel is set in center. Return to cooling rack.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over top. Let stand 5 minutes; spread melted chips evenly over top. Refrigerate bars until chocolate is firm, about 3 hours.
• Let bars stand 30 minutes before cutting. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil; peel foil away. Cut into 8 rows by 5 rows. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT-BUTTER-CARAMEL CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter; line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Add marshmallows and salt; cook, stirring, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in cereal. Press mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Let cool 15 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cover and cook over medium heat, swirling pan a few times, until sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Uncover and cook, undisturbed, until mixture turns amber, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream and 2 tablespoons butter (it will bubble up); stir until smooth. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Whisk in peanut butter. Spread mixture evenly over crust and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Melt chocolate and remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a small heat-proof bowl set over (but not in) a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Spread evenly over caramel layer. Let stand 5 minutes, then sprinkle with salt and refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Lift from pan using overhangs. Using a serrated knife, cut into squares. Refrigerate in an airtight container between pieces of parchment up to 3 days.