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Close up shot of caramel, cracker, and chocolate layers of Salt River Bars.

Oh, friends. I’m so very thrilled to be sharing this amazing Salt River Bars recipe with you! These Salt River Bars and I have been well acquainted with each other for a long while, but until recently I could only enjoy them when I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Liberty Market, in Downtown Gilbert. Locals, you know how delicious these Salt River Bars are, right?

Overhead view of Salt River Bars cut into squares with sea salt on top.

I really never even thought to try to recreate them as they seemed to be complicated with those fancy layers, and I couldn’t quite nail down the flavors. Then I decided to do a little googling and found that even though they are a local thing, there are a few copycat recipes floating around out there. I studied as many as I could find, combined and tweaked them just a bit, and came up with a very, very tasty version of my beloved Salt River Bar.

Some have even said they are better than the original, but I’ll let you make them and see what all the fuss is about for yourself. I sent out a few samples to my parents, grandparents, friends, and sweet neighbors and they loved them as much as we did! When something is this good, you really wanted to share it.

Close up shot of stacked Salt River Bars.

A Salt River Bar is essentially two layers of caramel in between three layers of Club Crackers. The topping is a thick blanket of chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter. Maldon sea salt is the crown jewel. Sweet, salty, chewy, creamy, chocolatey perfection.

What is Maldon sea salt?

Maldon sea salt is an English salt known for its pure, clean salty taste without bitterness. It is soft and flakey, and while it can be used in cooking, it is often used as a finishing salt. It makes everything taste more flavorful, without being overly salty.

Overhead shot of cut Salt River Bars on parchment paper.

And on top of all that, these Salt River Bars really aren’t too difficult to make. Especially if you have a kiddo handy to help you lay out all the crackers. The caramel comes together quickly with just four ingredients. One of them will really surprise you! Hint: more crackers!

Hand reaching for a small square of a Salt River Bar with a grey background.

I’ve written that the recipe will yield 30 bars. This is based on the assumption that you will cut the 9 by 13 inch pan into five rows with three squares each, and then cut each of those fifteen squares into two rectangles. These babies are rich. Sometimes I like to pace myself and cut them into tiny squares, so I can lose count of how many I’ve had!

Close up view of caramel, cracker, and chocolate layer of Salt River Bars.

Please leave me a comment if you’ve tried the original Salt River Bars from Liberty Market. I think we’ll be making these bars for years to come! Hope you enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen

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Salt River Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 46 reviews

Author: Julie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 30 bars 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

These Salt River Bars are sweet, salty, chewy, creamy, crunchy, chocolatey PERFECTION! Everyone who tries them LOVES them!

Ingredients

Scale

90 Club crackers
1 cup butter, salted
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Maldon sea salt for finishing

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Instructions

Prepare a 9 by 13 inch pan (very helpful if the pan has straight sides, like this one) by lining it with parchment paper, leaving the two long edges a bit long so that it can be used to remove the bars from the pan later. Spray the parchment and sides of the pan with nonstick spray.
Cover the bottom of the pan with the first layer of crackers on top of the parchment. Cut the crackers to fit as needed. I used five rows of six crackers, which covered my pan perfectly.
In a medium sized heavy bottomed pan, melt butter, brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and heavy cream together over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Bring the mixture to a boil, continuing to stir, and boil for 7 minutes.
Pour half of the caramel mixture over the crackers, spreading it evenly to the edges of the pan. Working quickly, add another layer of crackers over the caramel.
Pour the rest of the caramel over the second layer of crackers, and then add a final layer of crackers.
Refrigerate the pan to chill and set the caramel layers while you make the chocolate topping.
To make the chocolate topping, add milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30-45 seconds, then stir. Microwave the chocolate in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Pour the chocolate topping over the final layer of crackers, spreading it evenly to the edges. Sprinkle sea salt over the chocolate layer to taste. I used about 1 teaspoon.
Chill for 1-2 hours before using a sharp knife to cut into bars. Sometimes I like to use the parchment paper edges to lift the whole thing out of the pan to make cutting easier.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Take Two Tapas Salt River Sticks.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 Bar
Calories: 269
Sugar: 20g
Sodium: 192mg
Fat: 16g
Saturated Fat: 8.3g
Unsaturated Fat: 6.8g
Trans Fat: 0.3g
Carbohydrates: 29g
Fiber: 0.8g
Protein: 2.7g
Cholesterol: 25mg

Keywords: salt river bars, chocolate, caramel, club crackers, sweet and salty