Some nights you just need a cookie. I mean right now. Immediately. And that is why I am so happy that I recently discovered cookie bars. Because on those nights that you just need a cookie right away, you didn’t think ahead to soften butter to room temperature, nor do you have time to let dough chill. Enter the amazing cookie bar. Specifically a chocolate chip cookie bar with salted caramel sauce swirled inside and sprinkled with sea salt. Sounds complicated, right? It is not at all!! Especially if you have some caramel sauce leftover from making these brownies. Just melt some butter (no waiting for butter to soften in this recipe!) and mix it with sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips, and you are ready to go! There is no chilling this dough, just plop it right into the pan. Well there is one little extra step, but I promise it is worth the time because it involves caramel! Press half the dough into the pan and then pour caramel sauce all over it. Then you dollop the cookie dough in little scoops over the top (it looks so cute!) and lightly press it down. Sprinkle everything with some fleur de sel, and that’s it! In about 30 minutes, warm gooey cookie bars are ready for almost immediate consumption! Now I will say that the texture changes a lot as these sit. The bars firm up and become like actual cookies. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with sneaking a square (or two) of the warm bars when they are still doughy and gooey! …
