Quick Caramel Crumb Bars Recipe

Caramel Crumb Bars with a buttery shortbread crust, a creamy caramel filling, and crumbly topping. I was tempted by these little crumb bars about a month ago when I spotted them on Food Gawker.

This is the quick caramel crumb bars recipe you didn’t know you needed. It has a fantastic secret. The buttery shortbread crust is also the crumb topping.

You just mix the base ingredients. These are flour and butter and sugar. You press most of it into the pan. You save the rest for the crumble.

This shortcut saves you an entire step. It’s one of my favorite homemade caramel crumb bars ideas because it’s so efficient.

But wait, homemade caramel doesn’t sound easy, right? In this case, that’s not correct.  No candy thermometer needed for this creamy caramel. It’s made from a can of sweetened condensed milk.

I knew that I wanted to make them for all of my coworkers. Today we had a pitch in at work to celebrate spring break coming up next week so I decided that today was the perfect time! 😉

They were gone in about ten minutes flat. No exaggeration.

This rich buttery, crumbly, and chewy crumble bars are a crowd pleaser and easy to whip up for your next party or work potluck. They look complicated, but they really aren’t. This recipe delivers big flavor for very little effort.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that gooey, thick caramel layered between the shortbread. I had to make them.

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Uses simple pantry ingredients: You likely have everything you need right now.
• One mixture for crust and topping: This is the best shortcut. It saves time and a mixing bowl.
• No complicated candy temperatures to monitor: The caramel filling is impossible to get wrong. All you’ve gotta do is melt the ingredients together.
• Beginner friendly: If you’re new to baking, you’re going to seriously impress your friends or co-workers with this recipe. It’s very forgiving, and truly easy caramel crumb bars for beginners.
• Crowd-pleasing goodness: This is a family friendly caramel crumb bars recipe. Everyone, old or young, go crazy for these little bars.

These bars disappear. Fast. And they freeze well. So maybe make a double batch!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Here’s a quick look at the key ingredients for these bars.

• Unsalted butter: This is the base for the shortbread. It needs to be at room temperature to mix properly with the sugar. If you only have salted butter, just skip the 1/4 teaspoon salt the recipe calls for.
• All-purpose flour: This gives the bars their structure. I haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour. A 1-to-1 baking blend would be the place to start if you try it.
• Sweetened condensed milk: This is the heart of the caramel. Do not grab evaporated milk by mistake. They’re not the same thing and your filling won’t set.
• Dark brown sugar: This gives the caramel a deep, molasses flavor (like in these old-fashioned molasses cookies). You can use light brown sugar if that’s what you have. The caramel will just be a bit lighter in color.
• Light corn syrup: This is here for texture. It keeps the caramel filling smooth. It also stops the sugar from crystallizing.
• Healthy caramel crumb bars version: “Healthy” is a relative term for a dessert, but you can make a few swaps. If you need a gluten-free dessert, try a gluten-free flour blend. You could also experiment with coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar, though expect flavor changes if you do.

Serving Suggestions

These bars are super rich. Perfect to enjoy as a decadent treat with a cup of black coffee or a tall glass of ice cold milk.

For an even richer dessert, serve a bar with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

They make a great simple caramel crumb bars meal when you just need a quick, sweet treat to get you through the afternoon.

Notes

This quick caramel crumb bars recipe reminds me of my grandmother, but not how you might be thinking. She never made these tasty little bars.

But she taught me her secret to any good dessert: Always use real butter. In her day, “oleo” was popular. Margarine. She was ahead of her time, and refused to use it.

She also taught me that just a pinch of salt made almost any recipe just a little better. These bars follow both of those tips. Absolute perfectlion.

Now, remember to save this recipe on Pinterest for later 🙂

Caramel Crumb Bars

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

This rich buttery, crumbly, and chewy crumble bars are a crowd pleaser and easy to whip up for your next party or work potluck.

5 from 1 vote

Review Recipe

Ingredients 

For the Bars:

• 2 sticks, 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

For the Caramel Filling:

• 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 14- oz can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.
• To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
• Mix in 2 1/4 cups of the flour on low speed, beating just until the dough is smooth and the flour has been incorporated.
• Pat 3/4 of the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Place reserved 1/4 aside. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator while making the filling and top layer.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour to the remaining dough in the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until 1/8 – 1/4-inch crumbs form. Set aside.
• To make the caramel filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and condensed milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. When the mixture begins to boil, whisk frequently until it begins to thicken and darkens in color slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the refrigerator and pour the filling over the bottom crust. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly then distribute the crumb topping over the filling.
• Bake until the filling is gently bubbling and a dark caramel color, about 30 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack. Use the parchment handles to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board; cut into 2-inch squares.

Notes

Source: Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

Author: Laura

Desserts are a wonderful way to finish your meal. Sink your teeth into some of these dessert recipes for a decadent treat for the entire family. 

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Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars – What’s better than the combination of caramel and apples? Pair the two with cheesecake, and you have a heavenly treat.