Today we’re bringing you a recipe from the must-visit Karamell-Küche in Epcot’s Germany pavilion. One of our favorite indulgences — the caramel shortbread bar — is often on our radar when we open the doors to this counter-service restaurant!! You can read my review here!
Caramel Shortbread
With a shortbread base, the sweetness of the gooey caramel, and the buttery shortbread crumbled on top, this treat is sure to please! And now you can make this creation in your own kitchen. Let’s get started…
Caramel Shortbread Bars Recipe
Time for preparation: 10 minutes
Time for cooking: 25 minutes
Number of portions: 24
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose fl our
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
½ pkg. (4.5 oz.) Werther’s Original Baking Caramels, unwrapped
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Caramel Shortbread cross section
Instructions:
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2. Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt; beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the flour on low speed until combined. Press two-thirds of the crust mixture into the bottom of an ungreased, 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
Step 3. Microwave sweetened condensed milk and caramels in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 2½ minutes or until melted, stirring after 1½ minutes. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread hot mixture over the crust. Dot with remaining crust mixture. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cool bars thoroughly before cutting.
Enjoy!!
Thanks to DFB Reader Essie for letting us know about this recipe! Here she shares her homemade finished product:
Werther's Caramel Shortbread Bars
YUM!! Those wouldn’t last long in my house! 😉
What’s your favorite menu item at Karamell-Küche? Let us know in the comments below.
Recipe Source: Werther’s
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i bought one of these 2 weeks ago because i didnt want the caramel corn everyone else was having.. they really should tell people that there is walnuts in it.. i DONT like walnuts.. therefore did not enjoy it..
I am a Caramelholic, so pretty much everything on the menu is my favorite. But if I have to choose, it’s a tie between the dark chocolate caramel with sea salt and the caramel oatmeal cookie. I can smell it now…mmmmmm.
To ‘CanadiansthatloveWDW’, I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy your caramel shortbread bar because of the walnuts. The nuts are really optional. I didn’t put any in mine when I baked them at home and we loved them without the addition of any type of nuts.
Great recipe! Where did you happen to pick up the Werther’s Original Baking Caramels? I have never seen them-and were they in the candy aisle or the baking aisle of the store? I have to try this!
Maureen I saw them last week in the baking aisle of the nearest Wegmans (Niagara Falls NY). I didn’t buy them because I didn’t have a reason to……but boy do I have one now!!!!! We always make shortbread at Christmas and this sounds like a wonderful variation. Good luck!
We get them in the candy isle of any WalMart, Target or most supermarkets where I live. Remember to make sure you check the package and get the SOFT caramels and not the hard ones. 🙂
I’ve made these quite a few times and they are SOOO GOOD! An exact replica.
Adding my name to all those caramel loving people, and this recipe looks delish. Didn’t know about the Werther’s Baking Caramels (and I spend a lot of time in the baking aisle), so thanks for the heads-up.
Does the butter need to be softened? And is half of the package of caramels 4.5 oz? Or is it half of a 4.5oz package? 🙂
@ Essie. i will probably make this at home and omit them walnut or use pecans or almonds. thanks
Wendy, you need 25 caramels and I found that the bags they sell all contain approximately 25 pieces (I’m not sure of the oz. measurement). As for the butter, you have to mix it with the sugar and salt in a mixing bowl so I took my butter out ahead of time so that it would be nice and soft and I could beat and mix it very easily. Another tip: It’s better to leave it bake in the oven a little less time rather than too long a time. The edges will get dark and overdone if you leave it in too long. The crusty edges should just be golden.
Oh my stars!!! This is my favorite thing in that store!!! I’m sooo excited you put this recipe on!!!! Can’t wait to make them!!! 😀
I made these last night. WOW they are amazing, I did not have Werther’s baking caramel, but substituted Kraft caramel bits. it still came out amazing.
These were good but mine were not gooey at all, more like a thin layer of caramel tasting cookie over a shortbread base. I sprinkled about a teaspoon of flaked salt then a 1/4 bag od chocolate chips as soon as I took them out of the oven, spread them out after they melted. Like I said good just not the chewy looking caramel layer the photo depicts
Just noticed the recipe calls for 1/2 a bag yet it sounds like some used the whole bag???? Maybe that is why the pix looks different as I used the 1/2 bag?
My mouth salivates every time I think of these from Epcot. I ask everyone to pick me up some for me when they head to Disney and can you believe that each and EVERY time they are told they have no idea what they are talking about?!?!? I even have them show a photo from their phone. Insane!! OR..they just don’t MAKE it back home on the car ride. LOL!!
Anyways, I finally decided to make this recipe just to see how it would turn out. Will let you know when they cool, IF I can wait that long!!
Very delicious!! But shortbread a little too crumbly. Think if I put in a smaller pan, this would resolve this problem? And how do I store? And how long will they be good for? Can you freeze?
It tastes better than it looks – kinda dish. At least in my case 🙂 My kids absolutely love these caramel bars. Thanks for the recipe
Love the recipes.
Love the recipes. Sound soo good!
Do you soften the butter before mixing?
Susan, you’ll want the butter to be room temperature.
I can’t find the Wethers baking Carmel’s .. I not Kraft Carmel’s??
I love making these! Theyre so easy to make! I leave out the walnuts(Nut allergies in the fam) and they taste just fine!