salted caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookie bars #shorts

These Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are gluten and dairy free and can be made refined sugar free as well. They are the perfect fall dessert! Salted Caramel: •1 (13.5oz) can full fat coconut milk •2/3 cup coconut sugar •1 tsp pure vanilla extract •1/2-1 tsp salt •1 tbsp tapioca flour (or cornstarch) Cookie Dough: •2 eggs, room temp •1/2 cup coconut oil, melted •1 tsp pure vanilla extract •2 1/2 cups oat flour (I use homemade) •1 cup coconut sugar •1 tsp baking powder •1 tsp baking soda •1/2 tsp salt •1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips/chunks, divided (I use dairy free and refined sugar free) Instructions: 1. First, make the caramel: add the coconut milk and coconut sugar to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil, whisking often. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, whisking often. After 25 minutes, stir in the vanilla extract, salt and tapioca flour and whisk well so there are no clumps. Let the mixture simmer for several more minutes, until thickened, then remove from the heat and let cool. 2. Next, make the cookie dough: whisk together the eggs in a bowl then add in the melted coconut oil and vanilla. Once mixed, add in the dry ingredients (except the chocolate) and stir until a dough forms. Once the dough is mixed, fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips/chunks then place the cookie dough and caramel in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. 3. Once the cookie dough and caramel have chilled, remove from the fridge. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and assemble the cookie bars: add half of the cookie dough to the bottom of the lined pan and smooth it out, covering the entire bottom of the pan. Top the cookie dough with the caramel sauce then sprinkle the caramel with 1/4 cup additional chocolate chips/chunks. Next, crumble/place the remaining cookie dough on top of the caramel and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips/chunks, if desired. 4. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until lightly browned, then remove from the oven and let cool completely (I like to sprinkle with flaky sea salt). Once cooled, slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge. #chocolatechipcookies #cookiebars #stuffedcookies #saltedcaramel #chocolatechip #glutenfreecookies #dairyfreecookies #refinedsugarfree #healthydessert