Better Than Anything Bars

Here’s a great recipe for Better Than Anything Bars—chocolate chip cookie bars with a gooey caramel–peanut butter layer in the middle. Serves about 20 bars:

🍪 Ingredients

Cookie Bar Layers

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 cups semi‑sweet (or milk) chocolate chips

Gooey Filling

• 14 oz caramels (unwrapped) or caramel bits

• 5 oz canned evaporated milk

• ½ cup peanut butter

Optional Topping

• Flaky sea salt (helps balance sweetness)

🧑‍🍳 Instructions

1. Prep & bake base
   Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9×13″ pan with parchment or grease it. Cream butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Whisk flour, soda & salt, then mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread half the dough evenly in the pan; bake for ~8–10 minutes until edges are set and top is lightly golden

2. Make caramel–peanut butter layer
   While base bakes, melt caramels with evaporated milk in the microwave at 50% power: ~1–2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until fully blended

3. Assemble
   Remove pan from oven, pour caramel–peanut butter mixture over baked layer. Drop remaining dough by teaspoonfuls on top. It doesn’t have to fully cover the filling—some gooey pockets are great

4. Bake & cool
   Bake 17–20 minutes at 375 °F until top dough is golden brown and caramel bubbles. Let cool completely in pan (ideally 30–60 minutes) so caramel sets. Chill 30 minutes in fridge for neater slicing (optional but helpful) .

5. Cut & serve
   Lift bars using parchment overhang. Slice into squares and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top if using.

🔧 Tips for Best Results

• Don’t overbake – pull when edges are golden, center slightly soft; bars firm up as they cool

• Room-temperature butter ensures creamy dough and tender texture .

• Avoid overmixing flour to prevent tough bars

• High-quality caramel&chocolate bring rich flavor

• Sea salt topping adds a lovely sweet‑salty contrast

🔄 Variations

• Nutty twist: Stir ½ cup chopped nuts (pecans/walnuts) into dough .

• Flavor swaps: Use white chocolate or butterscotch chips instead

• Healthier option: Try dairy-free butter, caramel, and chips