Rich, sweet caramel sandwiched between two layers of buttery shortbread; these little Caramel Crumb Bars are just perfect for when you need a sweet fix!
Boy do I have a recipe for you today! This is one of those recipes that’s just perfect for those of us who have a hardcore sweet tooth! These Caramel Crumb Bars are super sweet and rich. Sticky, crumbly… everything that is right about baking.
I used Carnation Caramel for these crumb bars, so you don’t have to make the caramel either, making these ultra quick to make and meaning you’ll be biting into one of these bars in about 45 minutes.
Mind you, I would advise not being too hasty with grabbing a spoon when they first come out of the oven because I still have the burn on the roof of my mouth from the molten caramel. Ah well, it was worth it because these taste utterly divine!
Now, you may think that there are a lot of steps to this recipe compared to ingredients, but let me tell you; it’s actually so simple. All I did was press 3/4 of the shortbread mix into a lined pan, baked it for 12 minutes and then spread the caramel on the top. The last step was to crumble the remaining shortbread mix on the top before placing them back in the oven for 30 minutes.
After that you have bubbling caramel and crumbly shortbread just begging you to cut into it and devour a slice.
Sometimes I wonder how something so simple can taste so amazing. But I think it really is true sometimes that the best things in life are the simplest. This Crumb Bar recipe is also super adaptable; you could try Biscoff or Nutella as the middle layer… Biscoff is calling to me! If I wasn’t allergic to peanut butter, I’d try that too!
I’m off to make Strawberry and Mango Shortcakes; hope you enjoy these bars!
Caramel Crumb Bars
Rich, sweet caramel sandwiched between two layers of buttery shortbread; these little bars are just perfect for when you need a sweet fix and super easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) icing/powdered sugar
- 2 1/4 cups (315g) plain/all purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 can Carnation caramel (397g/14oz can)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 160C/325F and grease and line an 8x8 inch square pan. I spray my pans with cooking spray and then place two strips of grease proof paper into my pan; one across, and one top to bottom. This makes removal later on really easy!
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Place butter and sugar into a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, around 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
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Add in the flour, salt and vanilla, scraping down the sides as necessary, then mix on low speed until the mixture begins to come together. Turn up the mixer to medium speed until you have a soft, smooth dough.
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Place 3/4 of the dough into your prepared pan and press into a level layer. I use a measuring cup sprayed with cooking spray to press mine in as it's easy and you get an even layer!
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Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes until slightly puffy.
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Spread 2/3 of a can of Carnation Caramel into an even layer on top of the caramel.
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Crumble the remaining 1/4 of your shortbread mixture over the top of the caramel; it's perfectly fine that it doesn't completely cover the caramel, in fact that's what you want!
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Place in the oven for 27-32 minutes until the caramel is bubbling and the shortbread on top is very lightly browned, but looks matte and feels a little firm to the touch.
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Leave to cool completely in the pan, before running a knife around the edge of the pan and lifting out. Slice into 9-12 bars and dig in!
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Caramel Crumb Bars will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 5 days.
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Annie is a self-taught baker, recipe developer and food photographer. When not in the kitchen, she can be found with her head in a book or jotting down recipe ideas! 
