Gooey and delicious keto salted caramel butter bars, with a tender, buttery crust and a rich layer of sugar free caramel. So rich and delicious, you won’t believe it’s low carb. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
You’re going to hate me when I tell you that I’ve been holding onto this recipe for salted caramel butter bars since last August. I really have no excuses. I’m sorry. Please still be my friend?
I have a long list of keto recipes waiting to be published, and as I am always creating new ones, I am constantly adding to this list. Some recipes, no matter how amazing they are, get put aside in favor of other ones. I am always trying to strike a good balance of sweet and savory, and of nourishing meals vs. decadent keto treats.
One cannot live on keto desserts alone. As much as one might want to.
So in any particular week, I might pair something like my Keto Crab Cakes with the well loved Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, and the Keto Chocolate Cereal. Just so I am not giving you desserts all day every day.
Why I put this particular keto caramel bar recipe on hold escapes me now. All I can say is Oh. Em. Gee. It is so insanely good. It is perfect gooey, crumbly, deliciousness and it makes me swoon just thinking about it.
The Inspiration for Keto Salted Caramel Bars
I adore my sugar-free caramel sauce and I know so many of you do as well. It may very well be the most popular keto caramel sauce out there. I basically want to put it in, on, and over everything.
So when I saw a recipe for Salted Caramel Butter Bars on Cookies and Cups, I knew I had to find a way to ketofy them.
Yes, that’s a real word. Ketofy: (verb) To take a high carb recipe and magically make it low carb and grain-free.
That is what I do best. Just call me the Ketofier!
Obviously, this was more than just switching out the caramel. I needed to make a crumbly buttery crust with a melt in your mouth texture. So of course I turned to my trusty keto baking side kick, Bob’s Red Mill. I simply cannot do without their fantastic keto friendly almond and coconut flours.
How To Make Salted Caramel Butter Bars
Make the sugar-free caramel: You want to do this first, because it should be cooled to room temperature before pouring over the crust. And if you really want THE BEST keto caramel, you do need a mix of the two sweeteners.
All Swerve will cause your caramel to re-crystallize. All Bocha Sweet or allulose, and it will be too soft and gooey, and will ooze right out of the bars. Plus too much allulose could cause some serious tummy upset (trust me, I know this from experience).
Make the crumb crust: For this, I highly recommend a combination of both almond and coconut flour. It helps achieve that perfect crumbly consistency. Coconut flour alone won’t work in this, it’s too dry and absorbs far too much moisture.
But adding just a few tablespoons helps offset the moisture in the almond flour. So you end up with a crust that’s both tender and crumbly at the same time.
Press in the bottom crust: You want to take about half, maybe a little more than half, of the crumb mixture and press it firmly into the bottom of an 8×8 inch pan. It should cover the entire bottom of the pan. It’s okay to use a little more if you have to, the rest is just for a scattered topping.
Then par-bake the bottom crust for 10 minutes. This helps the crust be firm enough to not soak right into the caramel sauce.
Let the bottom crust cool a bit: Patience, my hungry friends! I know it’s hard but this also makes the difference between a soggy crust and crisp one. Keto baked goods can be very soft when they first come out of the oven but they firm up as they cool.
Pour on the caramel: Now for the fun part! Pour your gorgeous keto caramel sauce over top of the crust. Try not to just pour it straight into your mouth. That would defeat the purpose of making salted caramel butter bars.
Add salt: This is salted caramel, after all. How much salt you add is up to you. I recommend at least 1/4 teaspoon but if you love salt and caramel together, go for 1/2 teaspoon.
Sprinkle on the remaining crust: It should be enough to cover most of the caramel, with some peeking through. Press lightly to adhere and bake another 20 minutes or so. The filling should be bubbly and thick and the topping should be light golden brown.
Let it cool! Trust me, I know just how hard this is. It’s going to be torture to let the bars cool enough for cutting. But if you don’t, they will be far too soft to cut properly and to lift out of the pan. And you might burn your mouth on the hot caramel sauce! So don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Cut into bars and enjoy. These bars are so gooey and good, you may find you don’t want to share. I don’t blame you one little bit.
Ready to make some oh-so-fabulous keto salted caramel bars? What are you still doing here. Go on, have at it. You can thank me later.
What else can you do with my keto caramel sauce?
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Gooey and delicious keto salted caramel butter bars, with a tender, buttery crust and a rich layer of sugar free caramel. So rich and delicious, you won't believe it's low carb.
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 recipe sugar-free caramel sauce
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (more if desired)
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Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8x8 inch baking pan well.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, and salt. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the dough begins to clump together.
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Press a little over half of the dough into the prepared baking pan and bake 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.
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Pour the caramel sauce over the crust and spread to the edges. Sprinkle with the salt (add more if you like). Then take the remaining crust and crumble it over the filling, pressing lightly to adhere.
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Bake another 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove and let cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.
See the blog post for detailed recipe notes
Jennifer F Schoenbein says
Ooh! But I’m like you, I cannot leave a recipe Alone. I’m thinking of adding some chopped pecans to the topping or swapping out some of the almond flour with pecan flour/meal and adding just a bit of chopped apple to the caramel sauce. OR a few chunks of dark chocolate! Sigh.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Carolyn says
Have fun with it!
Crystal says
So any chance I could use monkfruit sweetener instead of swerve?
Carolyn says
Do you mean Lakanto? Please understand that Lakanto is primarily erythritol and only a little added monk fruit. Which means that yes, you can sub it. It’s very similar to Swerve. I don’t like it because I get a strong aftertaste from monk fruit.
Karen says
Planned to make your Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake this weekend then – THESE happened. May have to make both as I honestly can’t decide between them right now.
Carolyn says
Tough choice! I’d probably make them both too. 🙂
Chantal Vasile says
I love all your recipes but often struggle to find ingredients as I live in Europe. Would you have a suggestion for Swerve and Bochasweet replacements?
Carolyn says
I believe Natvia is similar to Swerve. For the Bocha Sweet, you can use xylitol.
Cynthia Reed says
Hi! I live in Sweden and find that the SUKRIN products from Funksjonell Mat AS, Norge (Norway) work well. There are several varieties–one a brown sugar replacement, one a granulated sugar replacement, and another a powdered sugar replacement. The granulated product is a lot like Swerve, which I used to bring back from the US.
I often mix the granulated sweetener with something like powdered Canderel, Hermesetas (UK products, I think) which I can get in the supermarkets because I sometimes think the Sukrin is too strong (but I thought that about Stevia as well).
Originally, I ordered the Sukrin products on-line, but now find them in ‘health food’ stores (Life, Holland & Barret, etc) in the local malls, and sometimes in the larger supermarkets.
I can hardly wait to try this recipe! I am another caramel lover…as was my father and his father. So I give up and keep a bottle of Walden Farms Caramel Sauce around at all times.
MC Felicidario says
These turned out UH-MAZE-ING! My new fave ADIDAF bars, for sure! Oh and I laughed out loud at this: “Try not to just pour it straight into your mouth. That would defeat the purpose of making salted caramel butter bars.” SO TRUE!
Carolyn says
🙂 Glad you approve!
Jo says
Question – due to a nut allergy what could substitute for almond flour?
Carolyn says
YOur best option is sunflower seed flour, since it resembles almond flour in consistency.
Ashley says
Could I use choczero Caramel syrup in place of making the caramel sauce?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t think so. It isn’t thick enough and it won’t bake well. I suspect it will just disappear into your bars.
Ashley says
Darn.. I already attempted it lol. Some of it set and some disappeared. I’m letting it cool and hoping that it will at least taste ok ,even if it doesn’t cut like a bar I may just us a spoon hahahahah. Next time I’ll definitely make the caramel sauce.
Carolyn says
I am sure it will taste fine. But FYI my caramel sauce is better than theirs and easy to make! 😉
Andrea says
Oh Goodness Carolyn! Not that I have been waiting for you to keto-ize this recipe but I have the “traditional” full sugar version and have been a little apprehensive about making it keto-friendly since I am new to the low-carb baking world and don’t fully know what to expect with some ingredients. That being said, I want to thank you, profusely, for this, as I cannot wait to make your version!
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Melissa says
Thank you so much for this!!! It is fabulous! How should I store these?
Carolyn says
They will be fine on the counter for a few days but in the fridge for longer.
Amy says
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh. My. Gosh. These were SO yummy! The salted caramel sauce is seriously to die for. Thank you for this recipe!
Ashley F says
Thanks for all the tips and tricks, it really helped making these bars!! It was so good
Allyson Zea says
This is such a perfect dessert! I love it!
Sara Welch says
What a fun dessert for summer! I know what I will be having after dinner tonight; these looks delicious!
Toni says
These quickly disappeared at my house! Such a delicious treat!
Becky Hardin says
These could be my new favorite go to dessert! Yum!
Jennifer Welliver says
These are delicious! I followed the recipe and it turned out well. I’m a salted caramel nut so was wondering, will the sauce turn out ok if I double the recipe for making the sauce?
Carolyn says
Should be fine but it will take longer to cook.
Lisa Rad says
I cannot believe how amazing these are!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Moogs says
These are sooooooooooooo freaking amazing!!! Thank you, thank you!!! They taste like gooey butter cake. How in the world are these Keto?!! How?!! I’m so in love. I could go on and on and on!! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. You are the absolute best!!!
Carolyn says
There are some recipes that really are hard to believe it’s keto! 🙂
Mariam says
I just made these and they are delicious! The caramel sauce is so yummy. I have a question though…my crust browned beautifully but didn’t get crispy. It basically holds together when I cut the bars but it’s very soft. Yours looks like it’s more sturdy/crunchy. Did I not bake them long enough or is the crust supposed to turn out pretty soft? Thank you fur yhr wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
Mine is soft too, not crisp. That’s as a good crumb bar should be. It holds together well, still.
Marla says
Mine are cooling now and can hardly wait to try them! I do have a question about the caramel sauce. Do you stir it while it is trying to come to a boil? I’ve made your caramel sauce twice now using Swerve both times (since that is what I have on hand) and I don’t mind at all that it starts to crystallize! I tasted it just before washing the pan and OMG I put in enough salt and it is perfect! So excited! Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
rhondat 803 says
just found you. we’ve been ketoing for just over one yr. i especially love sweets! so we’ve tried many many recipes. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DANG ONES. i now vow to work my way through your page and try everything delicious thing. thanks
Carolyn says
I am so happy to hear that!
Lori K. says
I finally got around to making these and I must confess that my husband and I almost ate half the plan the day I made them! At least they are low carb right? I had actually only had one meal that day so it fit, lol.
These are amazing and so easy to make! These and the peanut butter fudge brownies are making my husband a very happy man and me a very tired woman because he wants them all the time now! They are so worth it though.
I look forward to you newest book coming out this fall, I can not wait to see what you have in store for us this time. I know that it will be amazing.
Lori says
Excellent recipe. I followed it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully!
Jen says
Your caramel sauce is my absolute favorite. Do you think I could make these bars without the crumb topping and have the caramel still be set? I’m trying to replicate a family favorite.
Lisa Rad says
I’ve been strict keto for a year now and have tried many recipes – these are by far my favorite dessert!! I added a can of pumpkin this time around and it’s really yummy!!!
Lori says
Made the Salted Caramel Butter Bar tonight. My husband and I enjoyed them very much. The homemade caramel sauce is amazing, tastes exactly like the real thing. Every recipe I have tried from this site have been top notch. I appreciate the variety of the recipes.
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Lori!
Gail says
I can’t say enough about this recipe, my son and I love it. I’m wondering if the crust would work with more choices like maybe a pumpkin custard or some type of preserves. I may experiment with it. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Sarah Brake says
Hi, I’ve already made the Caramel sauce (so good–glad I doubled the recipe!), but I was wondering how I can store these bars after I make them. Will they freeze well? Just trying to decide when to actually cook them for the holidays… Since I have family coming to visit…
Carolyn says
Honestly, I have not tried freezing them but suspect it would change the consistency a lot.
Kim Blower says
I’m not a big fan of caramel but I think these would be awesome with some sugar-free fruit preserves or chocolate in the center!
Carolyn says
Sure! I have some blueberry breakfast bars that are kind of similar.
Jahmila D says
Carolyn!! I made these in the wee hours of the morning before working a weekend shift. It was the PERFECT remedy for a seriously crazy morning. I had about 1/3 of your caramel recipe leftover from the holidays when I made cheesecakes. Even the little bit of caramel was enough to WOW me. I forgot to add the salted before baking so I just grid a little straight out the oven -Pure Perfection. You have the BEST caramel recipe out there!!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
David Squire says
Hi Carolyn!
I’m really wanting to try this out!
Is there a replacement for Bochasweet? It’s a bit pricey on Amazon
Carolyn says
Hi David, if you read the section “How to make…” you will see I give an alternative.
Kathy Jo Horan says
Hi Carolyn, first I’d like to say I’m an avid fan of yours and I own almost all of your cookbooks! Pretty much every meal includes at least one item from a DIDAF. I just made this recipe, without any changes😂 and this time My caramel sauce did not harden at all, definitely operator error, So it just soaked into the butter cake which became absolutely delicious caramel cake. I doubled the caramel sauce recipe and even in the refrigerator it is really still pourable. Any suggestions as to what I could’ve done wrong? I’m thinking maybe I didn’t cook it long enough? I did it for about 3 1/2 minutes. Anyway thanks for all of your work and your recipes and thanks if you can offer any suggestions!
Carolyn says
Hmmm, not really sure without being in your kitchen with you! Did you use the xanthan gum?