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Salted Caramel Almond Bars

Salted Caramel Almond Bars combine a buttery crust, homemade caramel, lots of almonds, and a sprinkling of salt for a fantastic sweet and salty experience!

stack of Salted Caramel Almond Bars

I have a slight obsession with sweet and salty desserts. There’s just something about a little extra salt that can transform a dessert from good to great. Whether it’s a little sprinkle of salt on some seriously chocolate cookies, an over-the-top cake, or even just some sugar cookies, I am always amazed at what a bit of added salt can do.

Of course, we can’t talk sweet and salty without mentioning salted caramel. I’m not quite sure when I discovered the wonder that is salted caramel, but I can tell you that it has long held a special place in my baking heart.

These Salted Caramel Almond Bars are a lovely way to enjoy salted caramel. They start with a simple, buttery crust. Next comes homemade caramel with plenty of almonds stirred right into it. Then, a sprinkling of coarse salt brings these into sweet and salty territory.

Salted Caramel Almond Bars

Making caramel can be a daunting task. I know it is for me, probably because I’ve had my share of failures making it. The thing I’ve learned and the biggest tip I can give you is to keep a close eye on the caramel because it can go from beautiful to burned pretty quickly. Once you have your beautiful, delicious caramel, you can revel in your accomplishment and enjoy one (or a few) of these tasty treats!

These bars are a glorious tribute to all things sweet and salty. I love that salted caramel layer filled with all those almonds. You can, of course, substitute another type of nut if you like. Once you try them, I think you’ll find yourself making them again and again!

Find more bar recipes in the Recipe Index.

More Salted Caramel Desserts

Salted Caramel Almond Bars

Yield 24 2-inch bars
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 2 minutes

Salted Caramel Almond Bars start with a buttery crust, followed by caramel, almonds, and a sprinkling of salt. A sweet and salty favorite!

stack of Salted Caramel Almond Bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 & 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 7 tablespoons (99g) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 cups (172g) sliced almonds
  • coarse salt*

Instructions

To make the crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan.
  2. Whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well.
  4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until crumbly and just combined.
  5. Press the dough evenly and firmly into the bottom of prepared pan. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork.
  6. 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:

  1. Keep the oven set to 350°F. Measure all the ingredients and have them ready so you can work quickly.
  2. 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.
  3. Increase heat to high. Cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns a dark amber color.
  4. 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.
  5. Stir in the almonds, making sure they are completely coated.
  6. 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.
  7. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until the almonds are slightly toasted and the caramel is bubbling.
  8. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.
  9. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bars. Then, flip the bars onto a cutting board, flip again to make them right-side-up, and use a sharp knife to cut into bars.

Notes

*We all like different degrees of salty with our sweet, so adjust to your preferences. I used about 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt sprinkled on top of the bars.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Good Cookie.

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    41 Comments on “Salted Caramel Almond Bars”

  1. I can’t even imagine how delicious these taste. Salty and sweet, soft and crunchy? All my faves!

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. I’m loving the look of these bars! So yummy!

  5. I love salty and sweet desserts, so these bars look fabulous!

  6. 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!!

  7. O-M-G! I love everything about these bars. Making a batch this week. I’m dying!

  8. Sweet and salty is the best! It’s like you get all your cravings satisfied at once. These bars look awesome!

  9. These are calling my name right now. Love almonds, and can’t wait to try these. Pinned it!

  10. 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 😉

  11. 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!

  12. I’m SO with you on the salty sweet obsession, and this looks like my favorite nut brittle meets my favorite shortbread — wonderful!

  13. MMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

  14. I made these just yesterday and substituted the flour for Bob’s Red Mill Flour Substitute- they still came out awesome!

  15. Hi!
    I made these over the weekend and they were a hit! Great recipe and so good! Thanks!

  16. Hello  jennifer
    l just made these , they were perfect every body loved them, next time I’ll double the recipe  
    thank you

  17. can you use bagged caramels instead of making your own?

  18. Omg……I just made these…..ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!   Thank you!

  19. 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.

  20. Thank you great recipe.. I heave question the butter how much equel in grams?

  21. 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.

  22. 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!

  23. Can you use store bought caramel (the ones in a jar)?

  24. 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.

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