Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I've been keeping an eye out for some great recipes to use my Fleur de Sel after making Salted Caramel Ice Cream last week. Which, by the way, is practically gone. I just love that salty and sweet mixture. I'm a huge fan of chocolate covered pretzels. I've also been known to eat my Rocky Road Ice Cream with Sour Cream and Onion chips. Yeah. I love mixing sweet with savory. And since discovering Fleur de Sel, I've been sprinkling some over anything I eat that is chocolatey.

Sometime last week, this recipe popped up on my reader from Brown Eyed Baker. Michelle totally read my mind (and my taste buds) when she made this. A mixture of chocolate chip cookie, with gooey caramel, and a hint of salt. So yummy. I managed to make 2 batches so I we can have more to give away. Because this is a treat that must be shared. Hubby even asked if we had enough to give away at his work.

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. (about 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel squares, unwrappd
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
Fleur de Sel for sprinkling

1) Preheat oven to 325 deg F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan. Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3) In a bowl of an electric mixer, mix together melted butter and sugars on medium speed until combined. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and continue mixing until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4) In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels and heavy cream. Microwave on high in 20 second increments, stirring often, until caramel is melted. This may take up to 2 minutes.

5) Press half of the cookie dough onto prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Pour hot caramel over cookie dough, leaving some empty spaces around the edges. Sprinkle the caramel with sea salt. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the caramel and gently spread the dough with a spatula until caramel is covered. Sprinkle with more sea salt.

6) Bake for 30 minutes, until top is golden brown and the edges have pulled away from the pan. Cool to room temperature on a cooling rack, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the caramel set. Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in a air-tight container.