Better than anything bars are going to be one of your new favorite bars to make. Packed with caramel and chocolate, who isn’t going to love these!?! I always think of caramel when it comes to the Fall Season, but you can make these any time of the year.
I have a very similar recipe on the blog that is called Snicker Brownies, but it doesn’t have the peanut butter in the caramel sauce. I’m not sure about your family, but peanut butter is a must in our home.
My husband really enjoys them because Snickers is his favorite candy bar. You can leave the peanut butter out of these if you like, and then they are like caramel blondies. The snicker brownies are more chocolate based.
What Ingredients Do I Need For Better Than Anything Bars?
Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make these bars (scroll down for the full recipe):
Bars:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Sauce:
- Caramels
- Evaporated milk
- Peanut butter
How Do I Make Better Than Anything Bars?
Here’s the simple steps you’ll follow to make these bars (scroll down for the full recipe):
Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare a 9″x13″ baking pan.
- In a mixing bowl, add the butter, and the sugars.
- Add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla extract.
- Next add the flour, soda, and salt, mix just until mixture is combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Place half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the baking pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Caramel Sauce:
- While the dough is baking, place the caramels and evaporated milk in to a micro wave safe bowl.
- Cook on power level 5 for 1-2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals.
- Add more time on power level 5 if the caramels are not combined with the milk.
- When they are combined, add the peanut butter, and stir thoroughly.
- Spread the mixture over the dough that is baked.
- Then drop the remaining dough, by 1/2 teaspoons full on top of the caramel mixture.
- Bake this mixture for 17-20 minutes, or until the remaining dough is golden brown or the dough is baked through.
This is a picture after I cooked the bottom for 10 minutes.
Tips and Tricks For Better Than Anything Bars:
- Add nuts or peanuts. Better than anything bars are one of my husbands favorites, and if I added nuts, (peanuts that is) I think they would be perfect, almost like a Snickers brownie.
- Also, I said that this recipe would serve 20 people, but these are rich enough that you could get away with serving more people. Just cut them smaller, because a little goes a long way.
More Delicious Caramel Recipes:
Baked Caramel Apple French Toast
Easy Caramel Pecan Chocolate Turtles
Yield: 20 people
Better Than Anything Bars
Better than anything bars are just in time for fall. Make them for those after school snacks, date nights, or even during a game.
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Ingredients
Bars:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Sauce:
- 14 ounces of caramels, unwrapped; (or 14 ounces of caramel bits)
- 5 ounces, canned, evaporated milk (Do not use the whole can if your can is larger than 5 ounces - and most standard cans are larger than 5 ounces)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
Instructions
Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare a 9"x13" baking pan, by spraying it with no stick cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl, add the butter and sugars, and then cream them together until they are nice and fluffy.
- Then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended and then the vanilla extract, mix just to combine.
- Next add the flour, soda, and salt; mix until fully combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips; you can do this by hand or just slightly with your mixer.
- Place half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the baking pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Caramel Sauce:
- While the dough is baking, place the caramels and evaporated milk into a micro wave safe bowl.
- Cook on power level 5 for 1-2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals.
- Add more time on power level 5 if the caramels are not combined with the milk.
- When they are combined, add the peanut butter, and stir thoroughly.
- Spread the mixture over the dough that is baked.
- Then drop the remaining dough, by teaspoons full, on top of the caramel mixture.
- Bake this mixture for 17-20 minutes, or until the remaining dough is golden brown or the dough is baked through.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 418Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 48mgSodium 352mgCarbohydrates 54gFiber 1gSugar 38gProtein 6g
They look ooey, gooey and oh so good!
Thank you. They are fabulous!
Can I use dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate?
You can use dark chocolate, white chocolate or even peanut butter chips would be yummy as well! Thanks for asking.:)
Can I skip putting the peanut butter in the bars
You can, however it will change the consistency of the center of the bars. I would use caramels and not caramel sauce. Happy Holidays!
I’m in Australia, can I use caramel jersey’s in this recipe
As long as the caramel sets back up, I think they would work fantastic. Please let us know how they work out if you give them a try! 🙂
Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?
Yes you can use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. We hope that you enjoy the bars.
I have made these several times and they are absolutely amazing!
Wonderful Carlee, I am so glad you enjoyed them. Happy Fall to you and your family! 🙂
I don’t like peanut butter. Can I substitute a smaller amount of butter? And maybe add pecans.
Peanut butter has a different consistency than butter, so it might alter the texture and taste of the finished product. You could use a different nut butter like cashew, that has a milder taste or if you like pecans, you could even make some pecan butter and use that in its place, by placing pecans in the blender, and adding just a little salt. I hope this helps and I wish you the very best.:)
My husband doesn’t like peanut butter either. I may try Nutella, but I love these bars and will make them again!
Nutella is great in these bars if someone is allergic to or doesn’t like peanut butter. Thank you for leaving a comment.
Made these for my card ladies yesterday…they loved them…so rich and delicious! I will definitely make them again! YUM!
Well thank you very much!! I think I would like playing cards with you! Have a wonderful week. 🙂
There are grocery stores now where you can make Almond butter, Cashew butter with pretty much the same consistency as Peanutbutter but I haven’t seen others but you may be able to make your own. I’ve made something similar so I can’t wait to make these
Can you omit the peanut butter?
I haven’t tried it without peanut butter, but I don’t see why not. The caramel will still set up and go a little thicker. Please let us know if you try it without. Thanks for the great question. I will have to try making them without!
I made them last night for friends and neighbors that came for dinner…We’re about to cut into them…I’m adding French Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream..whaaat?
Oh my, that sounds fabulous! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Has anyone tried using Sunbutter (a seed alternative to nut butters for those with nut allergies)? It tastes about the same as peanut butter and has a similar consistency. I would like to try these for my nut allergic granddaughter. Would love to hear from someone who tried it with Sunbutter!
I have not tried Sunbutter, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It sounds like a perfect alternative for someone who has allergies. Thank you for the comment.
For the amount of brown sugar, is this 1cup of packed brown sugar?
Yes, it is packed brown sugar. Thank you for asking. I will change that on the recipe.
Have you ever doubled the recipe and made them in a sheet pan?
I have not. Let me know how it works out for you!!!
I have not. Where these brownies have 3 layers, I think that the pan is too shallow. However, if you had a deeper pan, I wouldn’t see why you couldn’t. I do cut them smaller because they are thicker and pretty rich! Thank you so much for the great question. Enjoy your week!!
I am right in the process of making this for a funeral, but not sure what you mean by preparing the pan?
Prepare the pan by spraying it with cooking spray, so that it doesn’t stick. Thanks for the great question and so sorry for your loss.
A sheet pan is not double the size of a 9×13 pan, so it’s not big enough to hold a double recipe. Believe me, I’ve tried with other pan cookie bars. All you get is cookie dough overflowing the sides of the pan onto your oven floor & making a big mess!
Thank you for sharing that information. Hopefully it will help someone else from having to clean their oven!
Is there something else to use besides peanut butter. We have allergies!
You could use any nut butter like Almond butter, Cashew butter, Hazelnut butter, Pecan butter, etc. I hope that that helps. Thank you for asking.
I’m wondering how much evaporated milk to use, you say to not use the whole can ?
Use 5 ounces per the recipe. I just put the note to not use the whole can because usually the can is 12 ounces and I didn’t want anybody to accidently just add the whole can. Thanks for asking.
Thank you so much!
Hi this looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. When you put half of the batter in the baking dish do you bake it to complete doneness? Because after adding the caramel mixture and the rest of the batter you bake longer. Just checking. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, and thank you. You only bake the first half for 8-10 minutes before adding the next 2 layers. Thank you for stopping by and checking out the recipe!:)
Can I freeze these?
Great question! Making Better Than Anything Bars in Advance, they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 5-6 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2-3 months. I freeze them in 1 piece if possible and then cut them after they thaw. If storing very long, wrap them in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil.
You could also cut and wrap them individually and then freeze them. Then when you are ready to enjoy them, set them on the counter over night to thaw, then enjoy them the next day. Thank you so much for the great idea! 🙂 Happy Valentines Day!
Our family has been making the bar only part of this recipe for over 40 years. We call them Davy Crockets’.
Interesting – I will have to look up Davy Crockets’ and see what I find. We do love the caramel topping with peanut butter on these, but know that many people have peanut allergies. So, we like them with the caramel topping without the peanut butter too. (Fortunately nobody at my house has an allergy to peanuts, but we do have friends that do). Thank you for leaving a comment.
Hi. CAn you make this without the carmels but yet keep the peanut butter
I have not tried the recipe without the caramel, so I am not sure. However here is a recipe that sounds like what you could be looking for, just leave out the peanut butter M&M’s. https://myrecipetreasures.com/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-brownies/ I hope this helps, and I wish you the very best. Thank you for checking out the recipe.:)
OMG–I think the best cookie bars ever! I only used 1/4 cup of white sugar, and they came out plenty sweet. I added 1 cup of chopped pecans to the cookie mixture and used chunky peanut butter with the caramel sauce.
I really like using less sugar any recipe that I can, but many people that come to the blog don’t really like that. I love that you changed up the recipe to your liking – chopped pecans and chunky peanut butter also sound very good. Thank you for sharing your ideas and thank you for trying the recipe!
Made these ….absolutely gooey and delicious.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed them.;)
Just a reminder…theses contains peanut butter so be sensitive to nut allergies even if you don’t add nuts
Thank you for the reminder.
Any suggestion or a substitute for PB.
You could use any nut butter like Almond butter, Cashew butter, Hazelnut butter, Pecan butter, etc. I hope that that helps.
These were a huge hit I made them yesterday for memorial day get together and everyone loved them I even got requested to make them again
We are so glad that your group enjoyed these bars – they really are good. Thank you for leaving a comment.
Can these be made, cut and frozen for later?
Yes, you sure can. And a great plan!! Thanks for the great question!!
Can you use jarred caramel sauce instead?
I have never tried it, but several people have left comments saying that they used jarred caramel sauce instead. So it seems that it does work. I would think that the caramel sauce wouldn’t set up as much, so the consistency would be a little different, but the taste should be the same.
Can you omit the peanut butter? I’m not a big fan of pb.
I bet you could, the peanut butter makes the recipe a little creamier. Give it a try and let us know how it works out! Best of luck.:)
Can you use a jar of caramel sauce rather than the individual wrapped caramels?
I would think so, it will thin out when you warm it just a bit and I bet it would be perfect. Thanks for the tip. Also that makes it so you do not have to unwrap all those caramels. 😉 Thanks for the great tip!!
I used caramel sauce and omitted the milk. They turned out awesome!
Thank you for sharing your tip. So glad that they turned out awesome!
How much caramel sauce did you use please. I don’t want to bother with unwrapping the caramels. 😉
While doing some research for this recipe, I came across some Caramel Bits that Kraft makes. They are smaller than the caramels and are not wrapped. These would be perfect for those who do not want to unwrap caramels.
I used caramel sauce with no peanut butter. I just squeezed the caramel
sauce on top of the bottom layer of baked cookie. Worked perfectly!
Thank you for sharing – that sounds like a great idea!
I used the Kraft Caramel Bits. It only comes 11oz, just bought 2 bags and just added a handful to one of the bags. Perfect!
Yes so many of the package sizes that they are selling now seem to have decreased in size. I’m glad that you were able to figure out something that worked. Thank you for the comment.
Great idea! Way less work. ?
Fixing to make these for a picnic and going to use this recipe – https://pin.it/5rUIuW3 for my caramel sauce. It’s my go to for caramel;)
Your recipe for caramel sauce looks and sounds fabulous. We hope that you enjoy the bars. A picnic sounds great! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I just made this caramel sauce and I will never unwrap another caramel!!! This is the best sauce and sooo easy to make. Angie wasn’t kidding when she said have everything ready before you start. It goes from clear to done quickly. Seriously, so much better than the stuff in the jar and a fraction of the price.
I hear you, unwrapping caramels is not fun, or easy! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!!
I don’t know if I have very high hopes for my bars.. they took much longer to bake in my oven. I won’t fault the recipe because it’s more likely my oven. But they were JIGGLY. Baked an extra 10 minutes.. they’re cooling now, fingers crossed they turn out right! I’m in no way an expert baker so any tips on what I could have done wrong?
They do not set up until they cool off, so I hope that your bars turned out perfectly. I had someone think about trying caramel sauce, however, that doesn’t set up, even on ice cream it is still runny. I use Kraft caramels, not sure if you use that kind? And to be honest, they are an ooey gooey bar. Thank you for trying them and have a wonderful week!;)
These look yummy. One question though. Could I use a bag of caramel chips to replace candy and do you think 1 bag would be equivalent to bag of candy? Just checking.
Will make these with chips and let you know. Thanks for sharing.
Caramel chips are quite different than caramels. It would definitely be a different consistency. But if you try it, that would be great if you would let me know how they turn out. While I was researching the difference in ingredients between caramel chip and caramels, I came across some Caramel Bits that Kraft makes. They are smaller than the caramels and are not wrapped. These would be perfect for those who do not want to unwrap caramels.
It would help if you included this in the post for the recipe because I also thought mine were underbaked when I saw the jiggle
Sorry Ava, I am not sure what you are wanting me to add to the post. The brownies jiggle when they come out of the oven because of the caramel needing to set up. Let me know what it was that you were thinking and I will try to make the change. Have a wonderful week.:)
The same thing happened to me. The top just didn’t cook. And I am an excellent baker, so I don’t know what happened. I think they are now overcooked, but couldn’t be helped.
Make sure that the amount of dough you put on the caramel mixture is not to thick. Not sure why they didn’t cook? Also I tend to use quality butter and flour when I bake, so I’m not sure if it could be because of that either. So sorry about that. Also sometimes the edges do get a little extra done, but it works for us because my husband like the crunchier edges. I hope this helps.
Made these and they turned out perfect and they went to the downtown homeless shelter. I hated unwrapping the caramels, best do that before starting anything because it is time consuming. Can you freeze these goodies once baked?
Thanks.
Yes, you can. When you are ready to serve them, thaw @ room temperature. In order to freeze, cool the bars completely, but do not cut into individual servings. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. I’m guessing that those folks at the homeless shelter were pretty excited. Thank you for the great question and enjoy your day!
Going to have to make these for the next time we have company.
That is a great idea! Thank you for leaving a comment.
After you add the top layer of 1/2 tsp do you spread it out to cover the pan?
As you drop the teaspoons of dough, cover the whole pan, and yes spread it gently to cover the pan. Thank you for asking. (I changed the recipe to say drop by teaspoons, not by 1/2 teaspoons).
The first time I made these, several months ago, I thought the caramel sauce was pretty thin and then saw that my bag of caramels was 11oz not 14. I had another bag so I added more and they were amazing. I just made them again and totally forgot to adjust the milk and this time didn’t have extra caramels,. I added in some butterscotch chips to help thicken and am hoping for the best! Darn manufacturers changing their sizes! Great recipe though!
Thank you for bringing that to our attention. We didn’t think about the bag size changing. But since the manufacturers seem to be decreasing the size of many food items that is a good point. We are glad that you caught that and we will try to make sure to remember to include the size of the ingredient package (can, bag, etc.). Thank you for coming by and for leaving a comment.
Can I use soft caramels.
Yes, you can use soft caramels? Thank you for asking.
Can I use soft caramels?
Yes, you can use soft caramels? Thank you for asking.
Couldn’t find the caramels so I used Kraft caramel bits, only 11 oz in bag so I added 3oz caramel sauce. Too thin so I’m not going to use sauce. Ill add p’nut butter chips to dough and drizzle with caramel sauce when done
I love it when people are able to compromise and figure out what will work in the middle of a recipe. I’m impressed and hope that your Bars turned out fabulous. Thank you for sharing your idea.
Can these be frozen after baking?
Yes, you can. When you are ready to serve them, thaw @ room temperature. In order to freeze, cool the bars completely, but do not cut into individual servings. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thank you for the great question and enjoy your day!
It says “prepare the pan”, but I didn’t see anything else. Do we butter or spray it? Add flour? Thank you!
I spray it with cooking spray or grease it with a small amount of butter. You won’t need to butter and flour. Thanks for the great question. Enjoy your week!!
You mention that adding additional nuts would make these bars not suitable for someone with a nut allergy or sensitivity, but the recipe already includes peanut butter.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I really appreciate that. I went ahead and removed the bullet point about the food allergies because you are right the caramel sauce has peanut butter in it.
Actually, you were correct to include the warning about nut allergies. You only needed to change the wording to the effect that the bars would not be suitable for those with peanut allergies with both the peanut butter and chopped nuts. Both can be omitted for a nut-free bar.
Good to know I wasn’t sure how thick they would be with out adding some kind of nut butter. Thank you!:)
They are so good,But You Must Save So to put in the freezer. They get much better.the caramel gets so good.
Really great to know!!! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
They are so good,But You Must Save So to put in the freezer. They get much better.the caramel gets so good.
I will give it a try!! 🙂
Are they very peanut buttery tasting? Looks so good. Just not super sure I’d like the peanut butter but going to give it a try!!!thank you!!!
I am big on peanut butter so they are a little strong on peanut butter. I do like to substitute almond butter.
I am big on peanut butter so they are pretty peanut buttery. I also like to substitute almond butter if you like that better or any kind of nut butter. I hope they work out good for you! Or maybe try using 1/2 the peanut butter.
Hi Amy, I am confused peanut butter does not appear among the ingredients and I want to make them with peanut butter, can you please clarify? Thanks
There is no peanut butter in the bars themselves, but there is 1/2 cup peanut butter in the Caramel Sauce (it is the last ingredient listed in the recipe). I hope that that helps.
So sorry to confuse you. The peanut butter is in the sauce!!:)
Couple people mentioned Carmel later being too runny. I noticed the amount of evaporated milk is only 5 oz. The standard can is 12 oz. I was about to make the mistake of using the whole can myself. Do you really only use 5 oz in your recipe?
That is correct, you don’t use the whole can. Thank you for checking on that.
Do they runny when they come out of the oven and do they eventually solid up a little.
When they are just out of the oven the caramel is a little soft, not runny, like caramel sauce. And yes, after they are cooled, they do thicken up! I hope they work out wonderful for you!! Thank you:)
Can you use the premade Carmel sauce in a jar?
Some people have, but just remember that it doesn’t thicken up as much as the regular caramels, so they will not be the same consistency.
If you don’t want to share a recipe, please don’t waste your time and my time to create a post.
So sorry for the inconvenience, you just need to scroll down the page farther. That is why it says “scroll down for full recipe” in bold letters. Hope that you can find it. Thanks for stopping by!
Two things:
I note that the images appear to illustrate a glass pan. When cooking with glass for a recipe designed to use metal, one normally reduces
the temperature by 25 degrees. If this recipe is designed for glass, it means one should RAISE the temperature by 25 degrees and bake at 400. This May account for why some bakers have underbaked bars. Finally, those who have nut or peanut allergies may wish to try WOW butter as a substitute
Great advise, all ovens are so different, be careful if you put your oven on 400 degrees. Thanks so much!
I also feel that a glass pan is ideal for baking brownies. Unlike a meatal pan, glass pans heat up at a slower rate, and once they get hot, the are very hot.
I moved and I have a new oven and I am still trying to figure it out? Sometimes things are just right and sometimes they don’t cook. Looking forward to getting a new oven;)
Hi , your brownies look really good! I have all the ingredients in my kitchen but I don’t have evaporated milk, so could I use just heavy whipping cream liquid
Oh, yes, that would be perfect!!
Great! Thank you so much for your fast reply! I’ll let you know how they turn out! I’m sure they will be incredibly decadent!!!
You are very welcome. Enjoy!:)
Comment *made these tonight and they were awesome! My husband helped me unwrap Carmel’s. Next time I will unwrap one day and make the next. They were well worth the effort!
Oh, your husband sounds like a great guy. I am so glad that you enjoyed them and that they were worth it!! I think I will have to try them with my microwave caramel recipe, unwrapping the caramels is pretty tedious. Have a wonderful week.
I am confused, you mention peanut butter but the recipe does not include peanut butter. I want to make them with peanut butter, could you please send me the original recipe? Thank you!
There is no peanut butter in the bars themselves, but there is 1/2 cup peanut butter in the Caramel Sauce (it is the last ingredient listed in the recipe). I hope that that helps.
I made them and took them to work they devoured them they are soooooo good ❤️
Thank you for your comment. They are definitely sooooooo good!
Just pulled them out of the oven. Not sure I’ll be able to wait for them to cool. The carmel and peanut butter sauce was delish, might have tried some first. Unwrapping those carmels was a pain. Will definitely use the carmel bits next time.
Thank you for leaving a comment. We are so glad that you enjoyed the Bars – you are right – they are delish!
These were great and they were devoured at a recent party! I accidentally overcooked and they we’re still wonderful. I used a jar of salted caramel sauce and just poured it on after the first layer was baked!
Mmmmmm. Salted caramel sounds amazing, will have to try it. And a lot better than unwrapping all the caramels. 😉 Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about your baking experience. Have a wonderful week!
I’m confused! The recipe calls for 2 cups milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips. What does that mean? I want to make these tonight because they sound delicious.
You can use 2 cups of milk chocolate chips or 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips – whichever you prefer of the 2.
Got it! Thanks for replying right away. Will let you know my results.
The results were great! I did add 1/3 cup butterscotch morsels (that’s all I had) because there were only 11 oz of caramels in the bag. I took them to a 4th of July picnic and they loved them.
5 stars!!
Thank you so much for letting us know. We are so happy that you and your guests loved them! I was thinking that since so many of the food products have decreased the sizes of their products lately, that it is even more important to make sure to use the amounts in the recipe, but I always love it when someone is able to substitute and make it work. Growing up on a farm and having the nearest grocery store 30 miles away definitely helped me learn how to substitute! Thank you for coming by and enjoy the rest of your Summer!
OMG…..I made them for friends the other night and added lightly salted peanuts on top of the Carmel mix…….they were a BIG hit. Plus I topped it off with French Vanilla Ice Cream and sprinkled with Snickers Shakers Seasoning Blend…… Better than anything bars for sure!
Oh my, that sounds marvelous! Thank you for sharing your ideas – I’m definitely going to have to try them. Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
How much caramel sauce (ie. 1cup) do I use if I’m using a different recipe?
Hello Clare, most people use about 1 cup. I believe a jar is 12.5 ounces. Some people have also used salted caramel which is 7.5 ounces. So you can be the judge and if you like a lot of caramel, why not use the 12.5 ounces. Thank you for the great question and I hope you enjoy your bars.:)
I just saw this recipe and added caramel bits to my shopping list for later today. My question: Do these freeze well? Or should I make a half recipe?
They freeze well. When you are ready to serve them, thaw @ room temperature. In order to freeze, cool the bars completely, but do not cut into individual servings. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then again in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thank you for the great question and enjoy your day!
I’m just made them for the first time. I haven’t tasted them yet but I was confused on the directions. When I put the dough on the bottom of the pan it was difficult to spread….perhaps I should have used melted butter instead of softened.
You did it just right, the dough is a little thicker to spread. It does take a minute, if the dough is too thin, your middle ingredients will run down through the bottom and burn. I hope that you enjoyed your bars.:)
I used chunky peanut butter. Worked perfectly
I think that chunky peanut butter sounds fabulous in these bars. Thank you for leaving a comment.
Medium eggs?? What baking recipe uses medium eggs?
Where I live, they have small, medium and large eggs, and even extra large. I usually buy medium or large eggs because they come in larger quantities. What size of eggs do you usually buy? I think that you can use 3 small eggs if that is what you have, 2 large eggs and 2 extra large seem like they would all work out just fine. Thank you for checking out the recipe! 🙂
Made these with some peanut butter added to the caramel mix
Gooey and delicious
That sounds delicious. We do love peanut butter at our house. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
For the people who don’t like peanut butter, I bet you could mix in 1/2 cup of “cookie butter” instead!
Yes, that should work. Thank you for sharing the idea!
can i use heavy whipping cream instead of evaporated milk?
With the similar consistency of heavy whipping cream and evaporated milk, using equal amounts of heavy cream, you can replace evaporated milk in sweet and savory dishes. While the flavor will be blander than evaporated milk’s unique caramelized tones, the texture will be noticeably richer. Thanks for asking and best of luck.
You mentioned adding peanuts to the batter. About a cup?
I think between 3/4 cup and 1 cup is a great amount. Excellent question, and I hope you enjoy them.:)
Thanks so much for your quick reply! I’ll be making these this week ?
I think that you will love them! Thank you for coming by.
I’d like to make half of this recipe. Should I use 1 large egg or one medium? Thank you
One medium egg, or if you just have large eggs, you can use 1 large egg; it really doesn’t make that much difference. Hope you enjoy the bars.
I made these today and followed the recipe to a T. The top looks fantastic and browned but when I cut into them and took a piece the bottom layer was all gooey and greasy. I cooked the bottom layer for about 9 minutes before adding the caramel sauce and the rest of the cookie dough. Anyone else have this problem?
Every oven is different and all butters are not created equal. I’m not sure if the bottom layer needed cooked a little longer or if the butter was different. However if the top was fine, it sounds like you mixed the ingredients together well, as sometimes this can be the problem. I use a glass pan instead of a metal pan. I hope this helps and so sorry for your troubles.:)
These are delicious and easy to make! I had toffee bits left over from another recipe and sprinkled them on top of the first layer as it came out of the oven, because why not!!! Great recipe.
As one who loves toffee bits – I agree – why not!?! That sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing and for leaving a comment.
I only have a large toaster oven and can’t fit a 9×13 pan. Could I use 2 9″ square pans and then would the baking time be different? Thanks
9″ layers can take about 5-10 minutes longer than a 9 x 13″ because the dough is a little thicker. Play it safe and start checking the bars the original time and then if the recipe is not done, give it another 5 minutes checking every 2-3 minutes until it is done.
This is a guess, because I have not used a toaster oven or a smaller pan, but I think this should work.:) Best of luck and enjoy!
These are amazing!!! I did add about 10 minutes to the final baking time but they turned out great!! So addictive ????
Thank you for leaving a message. They are amazing and yes so addictive too!
These are delicious! As others have noted the Kraft Carmel bits are 11 Oz bags- not 14.. so I simply use a little less evaporated milk & they’ve turned out great!
Thank you for leaving a comment. Using a little less evaporated milk is a great idea. It is difficult to keep up with the changing bag sizes – that is why we put 14 ounces in parenthesis. I’m actually going to change the recipe to 14 ounces instead of putting a 14 ounce bag because I don’t think that the bag size is going to change back to 14 ounces anytime soon! Thank you for sharing such a good idea!
Can you substitute Gluten Free baking all purpose baking flour in place of flour
I am so sorry, I haven’t tried Gluten Free flour before, but if it works for other brownies, I would think it works for this as well. Let us know if you give it a try? 🙂
Just made these, no peanut butter. Oh my goodness! So caramely and delicious! Super rich. My husband says the best dessert I’ve made. 5*
That is wonderful! Thank you so much for letting us know!:) Have a beautiful week.
These bars are over-the-top delicious! I brought a plate into work a couple weeks ago and they were gone within minutes. Highly recommend giving this recipe a try!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. These bars are really popular – so glad that your co-workers enjoyed them – and that was very nice of you to take them into work! Happy Thanksgiving.
I used a can of Dulce de Leche with 3-4 ounces of evaporated milk. It worked great! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing that. We are so glad that it worked out for you.
I think I would really like this recipe but, there are sooo many adds and other crap on the screen I can’t even read most of your post! Very frustrating.
There is even an add blocking my comment-I can’t reread to see if I make any sense.
Sorry for your frustration. I know on a smaller display those separate parts of the page can overlap and make it hard to navigate. The adds allow us to maintain the site and post our recipes. I find it works better if I pull up the web page on a larger display, like a computer monitor, then there is enough space that parts of the web page do not overlap each other and you can select the option to jump to the recipe. Hope you will give it another try, I think you will really like those bars! Have a great week.
I made these for a potluck and they were a big hit! I made the caramel sauce from scratch so it was easier than dealing with a bunch of chews. The only thing I would modify is the peanut butter. I felt like that flavor was a bit overwhelming so I want to try it again without the PB.
Thank you for leaving a comment. I agree that caramel sauce is easier to deal with than a bunch of chews. Some people like using the chews better, as it seems easier for them. Also, some people like peanut butter better than others. I personally like peanut butter, but I have also tried this recipe without the peanut butter and I really like it that way too. I’m guessing that you will like it that way too!
Can I use the same amount of gluten free flour as our daughter, since she got Covid, is now gluten intolerant?
Usually all-in-one blends are a one-to-one swap with regular flour, and the blend should say that on the front of the bag or in its name. Check the back of the bag to be certain, but a one to one swap should be just that: substitute one cup of all-purpose flour with one cup of the gluten-free flour. Thank you for asking and good luck.
I cannot wait to try this recipe!!! I’m also going to try making them with Biscoff cookie butter, which is my new obsession ! Thank you!
Biscoff cookie butter sounds amazing! Let me know how they turn out. Thank you for coming by.
Has anyone used gluten free flour
I have another person ask about gluten free. There are some flours out there that have you do a one to one swap and I believe that should work great. Let us know how they turn out!:)
I did not read thru all the comments, but the procedures in the recipe seem to be a little sparse. Do you CREAM the butter & sugars together?? That is not stated. Add eggs one at a time. Mix each until fully incorporated? That is not stated. Please add some details to the procedures. Thanks!
I have made some changes to the directions. Hope it helps. I think the important part to the recipe is to not over mix it. Have fun and enjoy. Please let me know if you have anymore questions. The reason for eggs one at a time is, eggs added one at a time lead to cookies that were thick and chewy; eggs added all at once produced cookies that spread, become unevenly shaped, and were not as chewy. The base of these bars are like cookies.
The name made me laugh. When my brother was little, my mom got a recipe for Better Than Sex Cake. We called it Better Than Anything Cake. When he got older he noticed the recipe card and asked about it. We still chuckle about calling it that for so long.
That is a fun little memory. Thank you for sharing. We have to be careful about what we name the recipes because we have had problems with them getting banned on media such as Facebook!!!
Hi Amy. I live in England to you have a conversion recipe for imperial or metric please.
I converted it with a program called convert recipe that I found at convertrecipe.com
I have attached the converted recipe below.
I hope that that helps.
Better Than Anything Bars
Ingredients:
Bars:
2 ⅓ dl (227 g) butter, softened
2 ⅓ dl (200 g) brown sugar, packed
1 ⅛ dl white sugar
2 medium eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ⅓ dl (288 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 ¾ dl (490 g) milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Caramel Sauce:
400 g of caramels, unwrapped; (or 400 g of caramel bits)
140 g, canned, evaporated milk (Do not use the whole can if your can is larger than 140 g-and most standard cans are larger than 140 g)
1 ⅛ dl peanut butter
Instructions:
Bars:
Preheat the oven to 190 ºC.
Prepare a 23 cmx33 cm baking pan, by spraying it with no stick cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, add the butter and sugars, and then cream them together until they are nice and fluffy.
Then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended and then the vanilla extract, mix just to combine.
Next add the flour, soda, and salt; mix until fully combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips; you can do this by hand or just slightly with your mixer.
Place half of the cookie dough into the bottom of the baking pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Caramel Sauce:
While the dough is baking, place the caramels and evaporated milk into a micro wave safe bowl.
Cook on power level 5 for 1-2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals.
Add more time on power level 5 if the caramels are not combined with the milk.
When they are combined, add the peanut butter, and stir thoroughly.
Spread the mixture over the dough that is baked.
Then drop the remaining dough, by teaspoons full, on top of the caramel mixture.
Bake this mixture for 17-20 minutes, or until the remaining dough is golden brown or the dough is baked through.