Easy and Delicious Cookie Bars

These chocolate caramel pecan bars are the perfect treat when you want something sweet and delicious. In fact, they’re actually quite addictive, whether you have them for a snack or dessert. And they’re the perfect sweet treat to bring to a potluck or dinner party!

I’m not as much of a sugar junkie as my husband is, but for some reason, I can’t get enough of these. Maybe it’s because they’re so yummy?

This is one of the easiest yet most impressive sweet treats you can make. But you don’t have to tell anyone how quickly you whipped it up.

Have you ever noticed that it’s always difficult to get the first bar out of the pan? I made a mess of that one, but the rest turned out pretty wonderful.

Ingredients

These dessert bars consist of layers. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Yellow cake mix
• Pecans
• Brown sugar
• Evaporated milk
• Butter
• Caramel chips or bits
• Chocolate chips

I normally use semi-sweet chocolate chips. But sometimes I use milk chocolate if that’s all I have on hand.

For exact measurements of each ingredient and full directions, go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can even print out the card by using the “print” button.

How to Make Them

This is a super simple recipe. In fact, you’re basically assembling it in layers, so there’s nothing complicated about it. You can use either an 8” x 8” metal baking pan or a 7” x 11” casserole dish. I’ve made it in both, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Melt the butter in the microwave and add the cake mix and half of the evaporated (not sweetened) milk. Stir until well mixed.

Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a greased baking pan or casserole dish. Bake for 5 minutes.

Pour the caramel bits and the other half of the evaporated milk into a medium sized bowl. Microwave for approximately 1-1/2 minutes.

Stir and keep microwaving in 30-second segments, until all of the caramel is melted and stirs into the milk.

After it has a smooth consistency, pour it over the bottom crust. I usually tilt the pan from side to side to make sure it’s level.

Sprinkle a 1/2 of a bag of chocolate chips over the bottom crust. The chips will melt when you pour the hot caramel mixture over them.

Place the pecans in a single layer over the chocolate chips. Gently press them down, either with the back of a spatula or with your fingertips.

If you like your dessert extra sweet, add brown sugar to the remaining crust and mix it well. Or you may leave out the brown sugar if you prefer. And then sprinkle the rest of the crust mixture over the pecans and chocolate chips.

Bake this in the oven until the top crust is brown and crunchy. Your house will smell so good!

Let It Cool

After you remove the pan from the oven, you need to let it cool for at least an hour before you cut the bars into squares or rectangles.

If you want, you can put it in the refrigerator after about half an hour to speed up the cooling process. But my fridge was full, so I didn’t.

Perfect Potluck Dessert

If you’re going to a party or get-together with friends and family, these chocolate caramel pecan bars are the perfect items to bring. However, be prepared to share the recipe or tell everyone that it’s a secret recipe (with a big smile and a wink of course).

Most people who attend potluck events are there to socialize more than anything. When they get delicious food, that’s a bonus. In addition to these bars, other good things to bring are various salads and sides.

I’m a big salad lover! In fact, I can turn almost anything into a salad. I figure salads can consist of whatever I want to include.

Some of my favorites are this zucchini and squash salad and this tomato cucumber corn salad with feta. In case someone doesn’t care for feta, you can bring that in a small container on the side. People can add it if they want.

One of the nice things about bringing a salad with this chocolate caramel pecan dessert is that there’s some balance.

A lot of people like baked beans. So I took one of my mom’s old recipes, doctored it up a bit, and came up with this delicious crockpot baked beans recipe. It’s loaded with flavor, and even some people who don’t care for beans like it.

Another popular dessert is this no-bake pineapple pie. It tastes so good that people think you spent hours working on it. No one has to know how easy it is unless you want to tell them.

Regular or Gluten-Free Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bars

The only ingredient in these bars that might have gluten is the cake mix. So I use a gluten-free version. However, you can use the regular one if you’re able to tolerate gluten. It really doesn’t matter which you use because they both taste the same.

Fortunately, many of the major companies make gluten-free mixes, and it’s not difficult to find them these days. Even Aldi has their own gluten-free cake mixes, and they’re very good. This time, I used one of the major brands that you can find in most grocery stores.

More Desserts

If you like these chocolate caramel pecan bars, you’ll like some of my other favorites. Close to the top of my list is this recipe for peanut butter Cocoa Krispie treats.

For a delicious balance of tart and sweet, try these 3-ingredient lemon bars. They are so yummy!

These rich and deliciously decadent mint chocolate mint brownies will send your senses into orbit! You don’t have to tell anyone how easy they are to make.

When it’s time to celebrate anything, try this 2-ingredient festive fudge. It’s melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Please feel free to share!