These oven baked caramel cream blondie bars are the kind of simple sweets Midwestern home cooks have always loved: a handful of pantry staples, a trusty glass baking dish, and a clever shortcut that feels almost too easy to be true. Whole caramel creams melt right down into the batter as the bars bake, making little pockets of buttery caramel in every bite. It is the sort of homey dessert that looks humble on the table but disappears fast at potlucks, church suppers, and weeknight family dinners alike.
Serve these bars slightly warm or fully cooled with cold milk, hot coffee, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to dress them up a bit. They also fit right in on a dessert tray beside brownies and cookies, and they travel well for bake sales, family reunions, and holiday cookie exchanges.
Oven Baked 5-Ingredient Caramel Cream Blondie Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a clear glass 9x13 baking dish.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yellow cake mix, melted butter, and egg until a thick dough forms.
3. Press about two-thirds of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the dough. Arrange the whole unwrapped caramel cream candies across the top, spacing them out so each bar gets plenty of caramel. Pinch off small pieces of the remaining dough and scatter them over the top.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the center is set. Let the bars cool in the pan before slicing into squares.
Variations & Tips
For cleaner slices: Let the bars cool completely before cutting, and run a sharp knife under hot water between slices. That melted caramel likes to cling a bit, but a warm knife makes tidy squares.
For extra richness: A small pinch of salt over the condensed milk before baking can balance the sweetness beautifully. If your family loves that sweet-and-salty combination, this is a fine little trick.
For a nuttier pan: You can add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts over the caramel layer before topping with the last bits of dough. It gives the bars a little crunch and makes them taste like an old-fashioned candy shop treat.
For easy pan removal: If you want to lift the whole batch out before cutting, line the dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to act as handles. That is especially handy for bake sales or cookie trays.
