Name: Gluten-Free, Salted Caramel & Dark Chocolate Cookie Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 165 min
Ingredients: 1 cup gluten-free 1:1 flour blend (with xanthan gum); ½ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp table salt; ½ cup butter (1 stick) (softened); ¾ cup brown sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 large egg; 1 cup caramel pieces; 1 cup dark chocolate chips; 1 tsp sea salt flakes

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Soft, chewy Gluten-Free Cookie Bars with dark chocolate and caramel in every bite, then sprinkled with sea salt for the perfect salty-sweet combination.

It’s the simple things! Everything about these cookie bars is streamlined. And gluten-free. Easy ingredients baked into cookie bars… no scooping, just slicing. The end result… simply delicious!

Two gluten-free salted caramel and dark chocolate cookie bars in a rich brown color with chewy centers and topped with white salt flakes, next to a stack of four more gluten-free cookie bars. In the background is a white and black plaid dish towel.

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Ingredients

Gluten-Free 1:1 Flour: Use a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum and is designed to be a 1-to-1 replacement. I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.

Butter: softened to room temperature, not melted. When creaming softened butter and sugar, you’ll create air pockets in the butter, essential for making these cookie bars soft.

I usually leave a stick of butter out for about an hour before baking. If you forget, you can speed up the process by cutting the butter into slices and placing them briefly in a sunny place in your kitchen while you prep the ingredients. Or microwave the whole stick of butter at 50% power in 5 second increments (no longer, because it will quickly melt).

Brown sugar: the molasses in brown sugar adds a rich flavor and extra moisture that gives these cookie bars their soft, chewy texture

Kraft Premium Caramel Bits: No need to unwrap individual caramels, thanks to Kraft’s little caramel bits. They are small, similar to chocolate chips in size, and can be measured and mixed directly into the batter.

While Kraft Premium Caramel Bits are not labeled gluten-free, they do not have any gluten ingredients. As of the time of writing this recipe, here is the current ingredient list: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Liquid Sugar, Skim Milk, Palm Oil, Butter (Cream, Salt), Salt, Mono- And Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin. (always check the label for the most current ingredients)

Dark chocolate chips: Nestle Dark Chocolate Morsels are labeled gluten-free.

Sea salt flakes: A sprinkle of sea salt flakes, just after baking, is such a small touch, but it adds the perfect complimentary flavor to the sweet ingredients in these gluten-free bars.

Baking soda, table salt, vanilla extract, large egg

Step-by-Step Instructions

Leave butter out to soften about an hour before baking.

Gather ingredients. If you forgot to soften the butter, slice and place by a sunny window while you prep the other ingredients.

Line an 8×8″ square baking dish with parchment paper. This quick step makes for easy cleanup. More importantly, when it’s time to slice the cooled cookie bars, simply remove the baked cookie bar from the dish by just lifting the edges of the parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking soda, and table salt. (Save the flaky sea salt for the end.) Be sure to measure your flour using the spoon and level method. Use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup, and level the top by scraping the back of a butter knife along the top.

A fork resting in a gluten-free flour mixture in a glass measuring cup. — I use a large 4-cup, glass measuring cup as my small bowl, making it easier to pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture later.

Set the flour mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.

Beaters showing thick, creamed, brown sugar and butter.

Add the egg and beat well. The mixture will be very wet at this point. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture, beating until fully combined.

Gently fold in the caramel bits and dark chocolate chips.

Beaters mixing wet, brown dough. — wet mixture with egg

Gluten-free flour mixture being poured from a glass measuring cup into a mixing bowl with two beaters and brown, wet mixture. — wet mixture with egg

Refrigerate the dough for one hour to chill. An unnecessary step in making gluten-filled cookie bars, chilling the dough allows time for the gluten-free flour to hydrate. This makes a soft cookie, avoiding the gritty texture that sometimes occurs with gluten-free baked goods that don’t fully hydrate.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Spread the chilled dough into the parchment-lined baking dish. The surface doesn’t have to be perfectly flat, because it levels out a bit while baking.

Unbaked golden brown cookie bar with visible chocolate chips and caramel bits, in a square, parchment-lined glass baking dish.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the edges are dark golden brown and the center is set. The top will be slightly firm to the touch, not squishy.

Baked dark golden brown cookie bar in a square, parchment-lined glass baking dish.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle sea salt flakes over the top right away. Allow the cookie bar to cool completely in the pan for at least one hour to continue baking and to make cutting easier.

Using the edges of the parchment paper, carefully lift the cookie bar from the baking dish. With a sharp knife, cut into 9 large squares. Serve and enjoy!

A stack of two gluten-free salted caramel and dark chocolate mini cookie bars in a rich brown color with chewy centers and topped with white salt flakes. In the background are several mini cookie bars on a marble and wood cutting board and a white and black plaid dish towel.

I love cutting these cookie bars into 36 smaller bite-sized pieces! They are rich and delicious, and everyone can then decide if they want one piece or five. Gluten-Free Mini Cookie Bars make the perfect addition to a dessert charcuterie board or holiday cookie tray.

Mix-In Substitutions

Use this base cookie dough for a variety of mix-ins, besides (or in addition to) caramel bits and dark chocolate. The options are endless! Choose ingredients that go well with the richness of brown sugar. Keep the total volume of mix-ins to approximately 2 cups. Here are a few ideas:

Heath Bars, chopped
Walnuts
Almonds
Pecans
Pistachios
Dried Cranberries
White Chocolate Chips
Candy Canes, crushed
Mini Marshmallows
Gluten-Free Pretzels, chopped

Make Ahead

Pre-make dough option: Make the dough ahead, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days, for food safety, per the USDA. When ready to bake, continue with step 5 in the recipe card. If the dough is too hard to work with, let it warm up at room temperature while you preheat the oven, and then fill the baking dish.

Bake ahead option: Bake the cookie bars, cut, and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to two months. Avoid refrigeration, where the cookie bars will dry out.