With rich caramel, crisp almonds, a buttery crust, and a hint of sea salt, these salted caramel almond bars are an irresistible blend of sweet and salty with a whole lot of crunch.
Sometimes the simplest combos are the most satisfying. These bars start with a soft, shortbread-like crust, then get topped with golden caramel and plenty of sliced almonds. A sprinkle of coarse salt over the top is the finishing touch that takes them from sweet to spectacular. Whether you’re baking for a party or just treating yourself, this is the kind of recipe that always disappears fast.
Why You’ll Love These Salted Caramel Almond Bars
- Sweet meets salty. A sprinkle of flaky salt balances the rich caramel just right.
- Crunchy, chewy, buttery. Each bite brings texture from the crisp crust and nutty topping.
- Perfect for sharing. These bars slice up easily and travel well, making them great for gatherings or gifting.
Key Ingredients
Here’s a quick look at the key ingredients that bring these bars together:
- All-purpose flour – Forms the sturdy shortbread-style crust.
- Unsalted butter – You’ll use it in both the crust and the caramel for a rich, buttery flavor throughout.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the crust and becomes the base of the caramel.
- Honey – Adds depth and softness to the caramel layer.
- Heavy cream – Helps give the caramel its smooth texture.
- Sliced almonds – Thin slices are ideal for even coverage and toasty crunch.
- Coarse salt – A sprinkle on top enhances every flavor. I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon, but feel free to adjust.
How to Make Salted Caramel Almond Bars
Make the crust. Beat together the butter and sugar, then mix in the vanilla and flour. Press into a lined 9×13-inch pan and bake until the edges are golden. Let it cool slightly.
Make the caramel-almond topping. Cook sugar and water until it becomes a deep amber. Stir in cream, butter, and honey (careful—it bubbles!). Stir in the almonds and coat them well.
Assemble and bake. Pour the topping over the crust, spread evenly, and sprinkle with salt. Bake again until the caramel is bubbling and the almonds are lightly toasted.
Cool and slice. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift them out onto a cutting board for easy slicing.
Tips for Success
- Prep ahead. Measure all your topping ingredients before starting the caramel. Once the sugar starts to caramelize, things move quickly.
- Watch the caramel closely. It can go from golden to burnt in a flash. Look for a deep amber color and pull it off the heat right away.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan. This helps the caramel cook more evenly and reduces the risk of scorching.
- Don’t skimp on the salt. That sprinkle on top brings out all the flavors. Adjust the amount to your taste, but don’t skip it entirely.
- Cool completely before cutting. The bars will slice more cleanly once the caramel has had time to set.
Variations
- Swap the nuts. Pecans or cashews work just as well if you’re out of almonds or want a different flavor.
- Add chocolate. Drizzle melted dark or milk chocolate over the top once the bars have cooled.
- Turn up the salt. For a bolder salty-sweet flavor, use big, flaky sea salt like Maldon instead of standard coarse salt.
How to Store
These bars keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also freeze them. Just layer with parchment and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Sweet, Salty, and So Satisfying
If you love a good sweet-and-salty treat, these salted caramel almond bars are hard to beat. They’re simple enough for a weekday bake but special enough to share. Keep this one handy for potlucks, holidays, or whenever your craving for caramel strikes!
More Caramel Desserts
Salted Caramel Almond Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/4 cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) water
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- 7 tablespoons (99 g) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey
- 2 cups (172 g) sliced almonds
- coarse salt*
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Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan with parchment paper or grease the pan.
- Whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until crumbly and just combined.
- Press the dough evenly and firmly into the bottom of prepared pan. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool.
To make the filling:
- Keep the oven set to 350°F (175°C). Measure all the ingredients and have them ready so you can work quickly.
- Combine the sugar and water in a medium heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and occasionally washing the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until the sugar is dissolved.
- Increase heat to high. Cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns a dark amber color.
- Remove the pan from the heat immediately. Carefully stir in the cream, which will cause the mixture to bubble up. Add the butter and honey, and stir until butter is melted.
- Stir in the almonds, making sure they are completely coated.
- Carefully pour the caramel mixture over the prepared crust. Use an offset spatula to spread the caramel evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the top of the bars with desired amount of coarse salt.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until the almonds are slightly toasted and the caramel is bubbling.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.
- If you lined your pan, then use the paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Otherwise, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bars. Then, flip the bars onto a cutting board, then flip again to make them right-side-up. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars.
Notes
- Be sure to measure and prep your topping ingredients before starting the caramel, as the process moves quickly.
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan helps prevent scorching while making the caramel.
- The bars are easiest to slice once completely cooled.
- I use about 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt on top, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
- Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerated for about a week. For longer storage, freeze in layers with parchment for up to 2 months.
- Recipe slightly adapted from The Good Cookie.
43 Comments on “Salted Caramel Almond Bars”
I can’t even imagine how delicious these taste. Salty and sweet, soft and crunchy? All my faves!
Oh these look so good, I absolutely adore sweet and salty things. I have never made caramel before this would be a new challenge for me.
They look so good! I’m one to use a candy thermometer so I don’t burn the caramel. Do you know what temperature I should cook it to? I can’t wait to try them.
Jane, you’ll want to aim for about 350°F.
I’m loving the look of these bars! So yummy!
How many min fir 350•
Hi, Beverly. The baking times are in step 6 of the crust and step 7 of the filling.
I love salty and sweet desserts, so these bars look fabulous!
sweet and salty is just THE BEST! I love the gorgeous caramel in these bars and how crisp and buttery and caramel-y and just….gahhh so good!!
O-M-G! I love everything about these bars. Making a batch this week. I’m dying!
Sweet and salty is the best! It’s like you get all your cravings satisfied at once. These bars look awesome!
They are amazing! Can in refrigerate them?
Sure. I’d probably bring them to room temperature before serving.
These are calling my name right now. Love almonds, and can’t wait to try these. Pinned it!
just from looking at these I know I would love them. Wonder if I can sneak the salted caramel past my parents. They tend to turn up their noses at salted caramel. They don’t know what they are missing! Although it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have them all to myself 😉
I love a good sprinkle of salt on my baked goods, and if caramel is involved – even better! These bars look so right up my alley. Pinned!
I’m SO with you on the salty sweet obsession, and this looks like my favorite nut brittle meets my favorite shortbread — wonderful!
MMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!
I made these just yesterday and substituted the flour for Bob’s Red Mill Flour Substitute- they still came out awesome!
Hi!
I made these over the weekend and they were a hit! Great recipe and so good! Thanks!
Glad you liked them, Shannon!
Hello jennifer
l just made these , they were perfect every body loved them, next time I’ll double the recipe
thank you
So glad they were a hit!
can you use bagged caramels instead of making your own?
Hi, Dianne. I’ve not tried that with this recipe, but it’s worth a shot. You could try a caramel filling like the one in these Caramel Cream Cheese Bars.
Omg……I just made these…..ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! Thank you!
That’s great to hear, Celeste! 🙂
I’m wondering if a jar of Smucker’s Caramel Sauce might be substituted in place of
making the Caramel sauce?
It may work well enough. You may not need the entire jar. I’m not sure exactly how much caramel this recipe makes. I’d guess 3/4 cup or so. Keep in mind that the consistency of jarred caramel may not be the same, which could cause some variable results.
Thank you great recipe.. I heave question the butter how much equel in grams?
1/2 cup of butter (which is 8 tablespoons) is 113g.
These look delicious. I want to make these ASAP, but I only have pecans. Would chopped pecans work instead? Thanks for all the great recipes.
Hi, Karen. Any kind of nut should work.
Made these yesterday. Awesome!! Will definitely make these again and they are gorgeous and festive to boot. Perfect for Christmas! Everyone has LOVED THEM! Thank you!! And, btw, I’ve made your cranberry cheesecake pie for two years running at Thanksgiving! Winners!
That’s great to hear, Karen! 🙂
Jennifer, weird question, but wondering if you have ever frozen these after baking them. I would love to take them to a family weekend if I can pre-make them. Thanks!!! No worries if you haven’t tried this . . . .
I haven’t tried freezing them, Karen. I think they’d be fine. Be sure to wrap/seal them tightly to try to keep the crust from getting soggy when they defrost.
Can you use store bought caramel (the ones in a jar)?
Possibly. I think you’d get varying results depending on the thickness and consistency of the caramel.
I made this recipe recently and though they were delicious, they didn’t set properly. With the exception of substituting pecans for the almonds, I followed the recipe closely. Any idea where I went wrong? Too much cream perhaps? They were very bubbly coming out of the oven…
Hi, Noreen. Caramel can be a tricky thing to get right. The caramel should be bubbly when it comes out of the oven, so that’s not necessarily an issue. My first guess would be that the caramel didn’t get quite thick enough on the stovetop. I usually go by color to determine when it’s done, but if you have a candy thermometer you can use that. I think the goal temperature is about 350°F, but that’s worth double checking if you want to go that route. If they don’t look set after the cooling time, you could try chilling them for a bit to see if that helps.
I’m running to the kitchen to make those. I’ve been looking for this recipe for a long time. My husband will love them, I’m sure. Thank you for sharing. Will let you know if everything went well.
I hope you both enjoy the bars! Happy baking!