You can’t stop eating these chewy, milky and buttery Caramel Bars. These are addictive dessert squares that you need to make right now.
Nothing thrills me like getting recipe inspirations everywhere. We attended a children’s birthday party last month, and one of the desserts is a tray of golden squares, like cookie bars or blondies. I grabbed a couple of pieces and to my surprise, those squares are nothing like cookies or blondies.
They are soft yet chewy, milky, and buttery. Those plain-looking squares nestle a decadent crumb. One that I am craving and yearning for like, forever.
And our friend says they are called Caramel Bars, after our inquiry a few days later. It seems as though I have summoned their existence in my life.
You see, I have been gifted a package of the commercial version of these when I went for a vacation in the Philippines. Since then, I have been trying to re-create them without success. I don’t even know what they were called. But that moment, that night was meant to be.
Caramel bars and I were meant to cross paths. And now my friends, we have the Caramel Bars recipe on the blog. I was so so happy that I ate 70% of the entire batch (Not kidding!)
I hope you enjoy these delicious little gems. They are highly addictive and they are very simple to make. The next time you want a simple treat, You really have to try this.
Let’s Make Caramel Bars
Cream the Margarine and Sugar. In a mixing bowl, cream together softened margarine and sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add in the egg yolks, beating them one at a time, just until combined.
Add the Dry Ingredients and the Condensed Milk. In a bowl, combine the flour and milk powder. Add this mixture gradually into the mixing bowl and beat briefly , alternating it with the condensed milk. Do not overbeat. Beat just until the powders are incorporated.
Pour and scrape the batter into a parchment-lined 9×13 pan. Level and smooth the top with a spatula.Top with flaked almond slices. You can use pili nuts (if its available where you are).
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 F or until the top is lightly golden and the edges are starting to brown. Let it cool completely before slicing into squares.
Pointers and Tips
- Milk powder. Milk powder can be very fine ( like Nido, in the Philippines) or a bit coarse, like skim milk here in Canada. Because of this, your batter consistency may vary. Either way, the cake will still come out fudgy and chewy but the batter made with Nido will be more smooth and shiny ( I used skim milk).
- Nuts. I used sliced almonds but you can easily sub cashews, pecans, pili nuts or walnuts. Just make sure they are chopped or sliced into little pieces.
- Let the cake cool completely before slicing. The cake will firm up more as it cools so it slices nicely by then. As it cools, the caramel bars will redistribute its moisture giving it that chewy, fudgy texture.
- Store leftover bars in a glass container with a tight lid. May I recommend again, a glass cake dome! š It truly keeps your baked goods fresh within reasonable time.
More Recipes to Try
Caramel Bars (a la Max's Restaurant)
These Caramel Bars are milky, chewy and fudgy decadent dessert squares that are so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 Ā½ cup margarine, softened (use non-hydrogenated)* see note
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 egg yolks, at room temperature ( from large eggs)
- 1 Ā¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered milk * see notes
- 1 Ā¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or pili nuts* see notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together flour and milk powder. In a mixing bowl, cream together margarine and sugar until it is creamy and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, just until combined.
- Add the flour mixture gradually and beat to incorporate, alternating with the condensed milk. Do not overbeat.
- Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Use an angled spatula to level and smooth the top. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the batter. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the sides are starting to brown.
- Allow the caramel bar cake to cool completely before slicing. Store leftovers in a glass container with a tight lid.
Notes
- I used non-hydrogenated margarine and they come in sticks. So I used 3 sticks. If your margarine does not come in sticks weigh out 339 grams of margarine. You can also use butter.
- Powdered Milk can be fine (like Nido) or coarse (like skim milk). Both are okay to use. The batter texture and consistency will vary, with the one made with Nido being smoother and shiny.
- You can also use other nuts like walnuts, pecan and cashews. Make sure to slice or chop them into small bits.
- The caramel bars will redistribute their moisture as it cools, making them soft and fudgy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 4g
Thank you!
Hi Sanna! Your recipe looks yum, I’d love to try to bake it myself. But before that I’d like to ask, can i substitute margarine with butter? thank you in advance!
Hello Ivy! Yes you can sub butter. You may have to reduce the baking time just a bit, as butter browns slightly more than margarine. Enjoy!
Thanks for this recipe Sanna! Iāve been wanting to make these caramel bars for so long I just dont know where to start.
One question before I make thisā¦ is the vanilla extract an optional ingredient? It says 1 tsp in the video but it doesnt say in the recipe card.
Hi Cat! Yes, it is optional . I hope you enjoyes this. They are really good!