These Chocolate Caramel Bars are basically German chocolate cake in cookie bar form. A sweet shortbread crust topped with coconut, pecans and sweetened condensed milk finished off with a caramel drizzle sprinkled with chocolate. The right amount of chewy, a touch of salty and perfectly sweet!
Preheat oven to 350F.
For crust: in a medium bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar.
Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle coconut over hot crust. Top with chopped pecans.
For filling; in a small bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
Carefully pour over pecans and coconut, spreading evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan, combine caramels and milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat just until caramels are melted.
Drizzle caramel mixture over filling. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Cool completely. Cut into bars.
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Baking 2009