Get ready to be wowed by a delectable treat you can make right in your slow cooker – Salted Caramel Cookie Bars!

3 stacked cookie bars with caramel next to other individual pieces

When I first discovered the idea of sweet treats in the slow cooker, I knew I had to create a concoction using one of my flavor combinations – salted caramel. These turned out fluffy and have just the right amount of sweet and salty. Mix these easy caramel cookie bars up in no time, and let them bake and cool right in the slow cooker.

Ingredients Needed

Whip up this simple salted caramel cookie bar recipe with basics from your pantry and the addition of perfectly-sized caramel bits!

Unsalted butter – Set out 2 sticks of unsalted butter in advance so that they reach room temperature before mixing up the dough. It’s best to use unsalted butter for baking so that you can control the total amount of salt content.
Sugar – Use plain white sugar for a light cookie dough texture.
Salt – Add just a bit of regular table salt to the dough mixture.
Vanilla – To flavor the cookie dough, add a little vanilla extract.
Egg – Combine the dough ingredients with just one egg.
Flour – Use 2 cups of all-purpose white flour to achieve a simple butter-cookie texture.
Kraft Caramel Bits – Most of the time, you can make brand or ingredient swaps, but I do love to use these caramel bits, specifically. They are the perfect size to sprinkle into a baked good and soften to just the right texture for a soft and flaky cookie bar.
Sea salt – Be sure to use sea salt to sprinkle across the top of the bars and get a hint of salty crunch!

bowl of flour, two sticks of butter, bowl of caramel bits, measuring spoons with salt, cinnamon and sea salt plus sugar and egg

How To Make Salted Caramel Cookie Bars In The Slow Cooker

Begin by spraying the bottom of your slow cooker with a nonstick spray. Make sure to coat it well so that the cookie bars can be easily removed at the end.
With your mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla. (Butter and eggs should be room temperature for best results.)
Add the egg and regular salt and mix until combined.

2 butter sticks and sugar with vanilla in glass bowl

Next, add the flour 1 cup at a time and continue mixing just until a soft dough forms.
Sprinkle a little extra flour over the dough and use your hands to form it into a ball.

ball of cookie dough floured in a glass bowl

Use a little over half of the dough and press it down evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker. Use a sprinkle of flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.

cookie dough pressed flat in slow cooker

Sprinkle the bag of caramel bits evenly over the crust.
Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the caramel layer.
Top it all off by sprinkling the sea salt across the crumbled dough layer.

caramel over cookie dough in slow cooker

slow cooker with caramel and cookie dough chunks

Cover and cook for 2 – 3 hours on low. The cookie bars are done when they are slightly browned around the edges and a knife inserted into the center of the bars is mostly clean.

Extra tips for the best salted caramel cookie bar:

Use a butter knife or spatula to slightly lift an edge of the cookie bars to check and see if they are browning on the edges.
The cookie bars will seem a bit soft in the center, but they will set further as they cool.
This tip is super important: Let the bars cool before trying to remove them from the slow cooker or else they will fall apart.

wire rack covered in parchment topped with caramel and 8 caramel cookie bar pieces

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

Try a few substitutions on a classic salted caramel cookie bar recipe.

If you like, add a small amount of chocolate chips or finely chopped nuts to the recipe (about ½ cup).
I don’t recommend swapping out unsalted butter since there is already added salt in the recipe.
To make these cookie bars gluten-free, use all-purpose cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
Serve bars as is, or add a scoop of homestyle vanilla ice cream for extra decadence!