Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting

Ooey, gooey, and downright delicious. These are just a few of the words you could use to describe these mouthwatering Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting.

Inspired by my Softest Frosted Sugar Cookie recipe, this adaptation is absolutely perfect for the holidays.

I have always loved everything about holidays, from the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree to spending precious time with my loved ones. One of the things I look forward to most about the holidays is the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the house. After all, there’s a reason why so many Christmas candles smell like cookies!

These Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting have the same amazingly soft texture of my Softest Frosted Sugar Cookies that make them melt right in your mouth. The secret to this incredible texture? Sour cream! The use of sour cream in our cookie dough allows the cookies to get softer than any other cookie I’ve ever tried, producing mind-blowing results.

To top off these amazing Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars, I use a sea salt caramel frosting that I can guarantee you’ll be drooling over. This delicious homemade frosting is made with brown sugar, cream, butter, and sea salt flakes. It’s important to make sure you use sea salt flakes in this recipe, rather than table salt. Otherwise, the measurements will be off. Once we’ve mixed our frosting ingredients in a bowl, add powdered sugar and whip the mixture into the perfect sea salt caramel frosting. Trust me when I tell you that these bars are the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

Whether you’re hosting a holiday party, making dessert for the family, or simply looking to treat yourself, get ready to fall in love with these heavenly Brown Butter Cookie Bars!

How to Make Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars:

• Preheat oven to 350​° prepare and 9 × 13 pan by lining with parchment paper or lightly coating with cooking spray.
• Simmer butter in a saucepan. When the butter has melted it will begin to make a crackling sound. This is water evaporating out of the butter leaving only milk solids. Cook until the crackling sound slows down (it means water is cooked out) the fats that are left will begin to toast and turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Mix flour and remaining dry ingredients in bowl and set aside.

• Blend brown butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and extracts using a hand mixer/stand mixer. From there, incorporate the sour cream and continue blending.
• Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and blend well (dough will be soft like extra thick cake batter).

• Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan from edge to edge.
• Bake at 350°F​ ​on middle rack for about 25-35 minutes. Cook time varies by oven.
• Cool cookies-then frost!

Salted Caramel Frosting:

• Add brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream to a sauce pan over low heat.
• Cook and stir until the butter has melted and ingredients are incorporated. (*stop stirring once butter has melted)
• Turn up the heat to medium (remember no stirring - it will ruin the caramel!)

• Cook for about 5 minutes until caramel begins to rapidly form bubbles in the center and it begins to change to an amber color.
• Remove from heat and transfer to stand mixer using the whisk attachment or a mixing bowl. Gradually begin incorporating the powdered sugar and sea salt flakes.
• Frost cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little extra sea salt.

eat & enjoy!

More Sweet recipes you’ll love:

click photos to link to recipe!

• Chocolate Pecan Cake Mix Cookies
• DoubleTree's Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie
• The SOFTEST Frosted Sugar Cookies
• White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies with Caramel 

*This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting

Callie

These Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting are amazingly soft - melt in your mouth, ooey, gooey, & downright delicious

4.34 from 15 votes

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Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 bars

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 1½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 3½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Sea Salt Caramel Frosting

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

Instructions

 

Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars

• Preheat oven to 350​°F prepare and 9 × 13 pan by lining with parchment paper or lightly coating with cooking spray.
• Simmer butter in a saucepan. When the butter has melted it will begin to make a crackling sound. This is water evaporating out of the butter leaving only milk solids. Cook until the crackling sound slows down (it means water is cooked out) the fats that are left will begin to toast and turn golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Mix flour and remaining dry ingredients in bowl and set aside.
• Blend brown butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and extracts using a hand mixer/stand mixer. From there, incorporate the sour cream and continue blending.
• Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and blend well (dough will be soft like extra thick cake batter).
• Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan from edge to edge.
• *Bake at 350°​ ​on middle rack for about 25-35 minutes. Cook time varies by oven.
• Cool cookies-then frost!

Sea Salt Caramel Frosting

• Add brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream to a sauce pan over low heat.
• Cook and stir until the butter has melted and ingredients are incorporated. (*stop stirring once butter has melted)
• Turn up the heat to medium (remember no stirring - it will ruin the caramel!)
• Cook for about 5 minutes until caramel begins to rapidly form bubbles in the center and it begins to change to an amber color.
• Remove from heat and transfer to stand mixer using the whisk attachment or a mixing bowl. Gradually begin incorporating the powdered sugar and sea salt flakes.
• Frost cool cookies and sprinkle with a little extra sea salt.

Notes

*It’s important to make sure you use sea salt flakes in this recipe, rather than table salt. Otherwise, the measurements will be off.*

Nutrition

Serving: 1sugar cookie bar

Keyword baking, caramel, caramel frosting, dessert bars, frosted cookies, holiday baking, salted caramel, soft cookies, sugar cookie

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