Five-Ingredient Salted Caramel Brownie Bars
Fudgy homemade brownie bars swirled with luscious salted caramel, made with just five pantry staples. This American-inspired recipe, ready in about 32 minutes, layers unsalted butter, granulated sugar, cocoa powder into a dessert worth slowing down for — great for weekend baking, holiday tables, or any time you want a sweet payoff at the end of a meal. Each serving lands at about 250 calories and feeds 9, so it slots into a weekend bake or a special-occasion dessert tray. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup store-bought salted caramel sauce
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Equipment for this recipe
Tools this recipe's steps call for, with a link to each on Amazon.
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with butter.
- Step 2: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter for 45 seconds until melted but not hot.
- Step 3: Stir in 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa powder until well combined.
- Step 4: Add 3/4 cup all-purpose flour and mix until just combined; do not overmix.
- Step 5: Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Step 6: Spoon 1/3 cup salted caramel sauce over the batter and gently swirl it with a knife.
- Step 7: Pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel and swirl again lightly.
- Step 8: Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Step 9: Let cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.






