Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie Bars

A soft graham cracker cookie bar frosted with a tangy cream cheese frosting and topped with silky salted caramel sauce. This recipe is a cross between Salted Caramel Cheesecake and a Cookie Bar.

The other day a friend was raving about Crumble Cookie’s Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie and if you know me, you know I’m always looking for dessert inspiration. While this sounded absolutely delicious, I am not a fan of baking and frosting a million individual cookies so, of course I had to consider making this in cookie bar form.

The result? A thick chewy cookie bar made with graham crackers and a touch of cinnamon, topped with a generous amount of tangy, velvety smooth cream cheese frosting and silky salted caramel. This dessert knocked my socks off and while I haven’t tried Crumble Cookie’s version, I highly doubt their recipe could top these bars. Maybe I need to send a batch to my friend and get her input?

You guys seem to love cookie bar recipes as much as I do and what could be better than salted caramel cheesecake and a cookie bar combined?! Read on for what you’ll need to make these and let’s get baking!

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What you need to make Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie Bars

9×9 pan – this recipe is made in a 9×9 pan; I’ve linked a couple of my favorites here.

Graham cracker sheets – these are getting finely crushed and added to the cookie bar batter. The cookie bar is reminiscent of graham cracker crust.

Cinnamon – this brings out the graham cracker flavor in the cookie bar.

All-purpose flour – I will never not remind you to spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off so you’re not packing the flour and ending up with a dense cookie bar.

Baking powder – leavening agent, I prefer this baking powder without any aluminum added.

Salted butter – this is used in the cookie bar and theirs a little in the frosting.

Sugars – both granulated and brown sugar are needed for the cookie bars.

Vanilla extract or paste

1 large egg

Cream cheese – for the cream cheese frosting. This ingredient needs to be softened.

Lemon juice – this is added to the cream cheese frosting for a little extra tang, feel free to leave this out if you don’t have it.

Powdered sugar – also known as confectioner’s sugar, not the same as granulated or cane.

Caramel sauce – I’m using leftover sauce from my Salted Caramel Espresso Chocolate Cake, but you could use any salted caramel sauce recipe or even store bought.

How to make Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Start by making the salted caramel sauce. The caramel sauce needs to be completely cooled off before pouring it over the cheesecake frosting. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a melty mess! I recommend making the caramel sauce the day before so it has plenty of time to thicken and cool off.

To make the cookie bar, you’ll start by crushing the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Next, you’ll cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Then add the remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Press into a 9×9 pan and bake. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread onto the cooled cookie using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the frosting and gently spread out. Cut into 9-12 bars and enjoy!

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie Bars are super easy to make, but do require a little patience. These make a great dessert for hosting or even just a treat after a stressful workday. These bars are such a fun, delicious spin on your favorite cheesecake. If you make this recipe and you enjoy it just as much as I did, please comment so I can hear your feedback!