Biscoff Caramel Cinnamon Bars

I had been looking for recipes to use the cinnamon pear caramel that I had on hand. I found a recipe and then looked in my cupboard, and I thought that I had grabbed the cinnamon pear caramel, but I had not. Who knew that I had both cinnamon pear caramel and cinnamon pear preserves? While I found this to be shocking, it also meant that I needed to find a recipe for the caramel. 

I found this recipe and since the caramel contained cinnamon, I had planned on making my own version of cookie butter, using cinnamon graham crackers. Biscoff is already cinnamon based, so I ended up using the store-bought product. This saved a little time, which was good since the layers of these bars take a bit of effort.

You par-bake the bottom crust and then add the caramel and finish baking. My caramel needed to be heated a bit in order to make it spreadable, but 25 seconds in the microwave was all it needed. I refrigerated the bars before cutting, and I do think they taste better once they were at room temperature. I thought that the layers would be more distinct, but they weren’t obvious. I really love these cookies- they have a terrific cinnamon flavor from the caramel and Biscoff spread. They are gooey from the caramel, and the oats give them good substance. They are a great combination!

Biscoff Caramel Cinnamon Bars
2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup Biscoff cookie butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup caramel sauce

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, cookie butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then add the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour/oat mixture, stirring until the dough just comes together. 

Press half of the dough evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. 
Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully pour the caramel over the partially-baked base.
 
Flatten pieces of the remaining dough and place on top of the caramel. Continue with additional pieces of dough until the dough covers the caramel. You can spread the dough slightly with damp hands, but the top layer won’t be perfect. Make sure that the dough is even and press the dough down gently.

Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until the bars are golden. Allow the bars to cool completely and the caramel sets before cutting into bars. 

Recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod