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Two stacked salted caramel brown sugar pop tart cookie bars with a golden cookie base, dark brown sugar filling, and swirled caramel frosting on top, served on parchment paper on a wooden surface.

Salted Caramel Brown Sugar Pop Tart Cookie Bars

Decadent, bakery-style Salted Caramel Brown Sugar Pop Tart Cookie Bars featuring a buttery cookie crust, a gooey brown sugar and caramel center, and a thick, sweet cinnamon glaze.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 9 bars
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter Softened to room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar For the dough
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar Packed, for the dough
  • 2 large eggs Room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pure extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour Spoon and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder For lift
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar Packed, for the filling
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon For the filling
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour Mixed into the filling to thicken it
  • ½ cup salted caramel sauce Store-bought or homemade
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar For the glaze
  • 2 tablespoon milk Or maple syrup, to thin the glaze
  • ½ teaspoon maple extract For authentic pop tart flavor

Equipment

  • 1 8x8 square baking pan For building thick, beautiful bars
  • 1 Parchment paper Crucial for easily lifting the gooey bars out of the pan
  • 1 Hand mixer For creaming the dough base smoothly

Method
 

  1. Cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together until pale and fluffy to build the cookie base.
  2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, then gently fold in the 3 cups of flour and baking powder until a soft dough forms.
  3. Press half of the cookie dough firmly into the bottom of a parchment-lined 8x8 baking pan to create the bottom crust.
  4. Mix the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl, then sprinkle it evenly over the bottom crust.
  5. Drizzle the thick salted caramel sauce generously over the brown sugar mixture to create the gooey center.
  6. Flatten pieces of the remaining dough between your hands and piece them together over the filling to seal the bars completely.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden, then let cool completely in the pan so the caramel center can set.
  8. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and maple extract into a thick glaze, pour over the cooled bars, and slice into squares.

Notes

Mix a tablespoon of flour into the dry brown sugar filling before adding the caramel; this thickens the center while baking so it oozes beautifully rather than running out completely when sliced.