These Dulce de Leche Butter Crumb Bars have a delicious buttery shortbread crust with a gooey caramel filling and topped with more buttery shortbread crumbles. These are ah-mazing!!
School started today for my boys. I’m really hoping Parker survives. He officially declared his life being over because school has started.
He moped around the house all day yesterday muttering things like “why do we have to go to school?”, “school is so stupid!”, “why can’t school only be 104 days and summer vacation be the rest of the days?” (I think he watches too much Phineas and Ferb.)
Talk about being a Debbie Downer, it was a little depressing around here yesterday.
I took my boys out to Crown Burger for lunch hoping that might cheer up Parker because don’t burgers and shakes always make things better? It didn’t work.

I was really wishing I had one of these Dulce De Leche Butter Crumb Bars left to cheer me up, that for sure would have worked.These bars are crazy, crazy good! Buttery, crispy and gooey all in one. I love the sweet with just the hint of salty. I had to give them away because I literally would have eaten the entire pan. I am a sucker for anything involving caramel and then when you had buttery crumbles to the mix. . . oh heaven help me!
These bars are super simple to make and are absolutely calling your name right now.
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Dulce de Leche Butter Crumb Bars
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dulce de leche (or you can use salted caramel, store-bought or homemade)
- Sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar, and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in the flour and combine until it forms a soft dough.
- Press a half of the mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. While crust bakes, refrigerate remaining half of the dough.
- After 20 minutes, remove the pan from oven, and evenly & carefully spread the dulce de leche over the crust.
- Take the remaining dough out of the refrigerator and crumble evenly over the top of the caramel. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and then return pan to oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is barely golden brown and filling is bubbling.
- Remove pan from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.
Notes
- Dulce de Leche can be found near the sweetened condensed milk and/or down the Mexican food aisle.)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Brownies & Bars
Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Averie Cooks
These are the bomb!! Cade’s comment was “so buttery”. I made my own caramel sauce, but it was time consuming. I wonder if store bought would taste the same. Loved these!!
Cade is right, they’re so buttery and sooo good! I am always for “homemade” anything instead of store bought, but honestly, the store bought dulce de leche is so good and was perfect for these. Thanks Christine!