These Easy Cake Mix Caramel Bars are the perfect bar cookie to make for a quick dessert for the family or a pitch-in at work.
A good family friend gave Barbara a recipe book of her favorite recipes as a wedding gift. Barbara claims it is the Best Gift Ever!
This recipe is really what this blog is meant to be…an opportunity for Barbara and I to share some of our favorite recipes from family, friends and our favorite old cookbooks!
Easy Cake Mix Caramel Bar Recipe
These Easy Cake Mix Caramel Bars are fast and easy. You could change up the flavor by using a chocolate cake mix and hot fudge as the topping or maybe peanut butter. We love recipes that use cake mix because they are such time savers! Our favorite is Gooey Bars with Yellow Cake Mix.
Barbara suggests a couple of essential tools for making these bar cookies.
First, a jelly roll pan. We use a 15.25 inch by 10.25 inch pan but there are several options that are about the same size. Both Barbara and I have a jelly pan roll with a lid which makes it super easy to store and transport your bar cookies!
Second, a flat icing spatula. A flat icing spatula works great to spread both the thick batter AND the caramel icing too.
Notes About Caramel Bars with Cake Mix:
- For easy transfer and cutting of the bars, line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- These easy caramel bars use jarred caramel topping. The jar will be divided between the bars and the icing.
- Caramel bars with cake mix make a huge pan; these are perfect for a pitch in.
- Let the easy caramel bars cool completely before icing.
How To Make Caramel Bars with Yellow Cake Mix:
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray or grease a jelly roll pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine yellow cake mix, shortening, pecans, hot water and caramel sauce.
- Spread evenly into jelly roll pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
- To prepare icing, combine powdered sugar, butter, milk and remaining caramel topping until smooth.
- Let the cake cool, and ice the cake with the icing.
For the full recipe for caramel bars with yellow cake mix, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Want other yellow cake mix recipes?
These Easy Cake Mix Caramel Bars are the perfect bar cookie to make for a quick dessert for the family or a pitch-in at work.
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup pecans chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup caramel topping
- 2 Tablespoons hot water
- Caramel Frosting
- 1 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup butter softened
- 3 Tablespoons caramel topping
- 2 Tablespoons milk
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
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Spray or grease a jelly roll pan. To make cleanup easy, line with parchment paper.
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Combine cake mix, pecans, shortening, caramel topping (1 cup), and hot water with mixer.
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Spread evenly in the greased jelly roll pan.
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Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
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Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar, butter, 3 Tablespoons caramel topping and milk in mixer until smooth.
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Once cake has cooled, spread caramel frosting evenly.
- For easy transfer and cutting of the bars, line the jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- These easy caramel bars use jarred caramel topping. The jar will be divided between the bars and the icing.
- Caramel bars with cake mix make a huge pan; these are perfect for a pitch in.
- Let the easy caramel bars cool completely before icing.
- Try our famous Gooey Bars with Yellow Cake mix.
Referral links are used in this post.
My Grandma Nancy always made these….but she called them Caramel Lick Bars. They are a family staple. As a friend of mine always says, if you want to leave a legacy, cook, and then teach your loved ones how to make the things you cook. Then they can almost feel your presence when they recreate your recipes over and over after you’re gone.
We are blessed that your mom passed these incredible recipes on to our family!