Chewy Salted Caramel Cashew Bars

This soft and chewy delight is a little salty and a lotta sweet. These sinful, decadent bars have layer upon layer of goodness starting with a moist cake-like crust, followed by a layer of buttery, gooey caramel, then a layer of salted cashews, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and a sprinkling of sea salt, which is then topped with an oat cookie crumble. With Ritz crackers and salted pretzels blended into the crust, this mind-blowing treat is full of flavor and texture. These easy-to-make bars will satisfy your sweet and salty cravings and are sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

Chewy Salted Caramel Cashew Bars

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed

• 2 large eggs

• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, divided

• ½ cup crushed salted pretzels

• ½ cup crushed Ritz crackers

• ¾ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 14 oz package caramels, unwrapped

• ⅓ cup half and half

• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• ½ cup butterscotch chips

• 1 cup salted cashews, chopped

• ½ tsp coarse sea salt

Directions

Chewy Salted Caramel Cashew Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, crushed pretzels, crushed crackers, baking soda, salt, and oats.

4. Add the oat mixture to the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Reserve 1 cup of the oat dough and set aside. Press the remaining oat dough evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.

5. In a medium saucepan, combine the caramels and half and half over medium-low heat until the caramels are melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the crust.

6. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, cashews, and sea salt.

7. Stir the remaining 3 tablespoon of flour into the reserved 1 cup of oat dough. Evenly crumble the oat dough on top of the filling.

8. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until light brown. Allow to cool completely in the pan set on top of a wire rack. Once cooled, use the edges of the foil to lift the uncut bars out of the pan. Then cut into bars or triangles and enjoy.

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