Caramel is one flavor that always gets top billing in the Fall. Deservedly so! I get excited when I see recipes like these gluten-free Caramel Squares because I simply love caramel. However, often I am just as quickly disappointed when I see recipes with caramel in the title because they require Kraft caramel squares. I don’t want to have to worry about having Kraft caramels on hand and I’m not a big fan of their processed caramel taste.
Caramel is truly such an easy flavor to create. Its origins are simply butter and sugar and those are the key ingredients in this recipe. Add in an egg, gluten-free flour mix, baking powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt and you’re good to go! Really, those are the only ingredients required to create delicious Caramel Squares.
The aroma coming from the kitchen as these squares bake is simply divine. In fact, the air purifier in my living room was going absolutely crazy! It was getting so excited and so was I! LOL
Once these gluten-free Caramel Squares cool, they’re soft in the middle and just a tad chewy on the outermost edges. Frankly, they’re amazing.
The slightly crusty edges are sensational in my mind. I think I need one of those brownie pans to give me even more crusty edges. Seriously.
Because they’re so rich and good, you can actually cut the pan into fairly small squares and still have some very satisfied “customers”! However, let me warn you, when you’re home alone with this pan of Caramel Squares, you’ll want to use the spatula to cut off one more little square. And then another. And then just one more. That’s why sharing these Caramel Squares with others as soon as possible may be a very good thing!
You can sift or sprinkle some powdered sugar on your squares right before serving but they really don’t need that topping or anything else. There’s also an option to include pecans in this recipe. Which would lead to absolutely delicious results but honestly, they are not needed.
Before today, I had only made this recipe once, long ago. I honestly don’t remember making it another time. But it’s definitely time to make up for that oversight! Although it was probably a deliberate choice not to make them again as they are so very irresistible.
The Back Story on These Gluten-Free Caramel Squares
I guess I should first mention that I’ve read that you use butter and white granulated sugar to create the caramel flavor and butter and brown sugar to create the butterscotch flavor. Today’s recipe contains butter and brown sugar so does that mean that technically these squares should be called Butterscotch Squares?
The original source of this recipe is a cookbook from one of our local churches (specifically, the one that my late husband grew up attending and where he later played in the handbell choir as an adult). These squares are called Caramel Squares in the cookbook so I’m sticking with that!
As you can imagine, as a baking recipe in a mainstream cookbook, the original recipe was not gluten free as written. But it was so very easy to make it gluten free.
I simply subbed in the two-ingredient gluten-free all-purpose flour mix that I always use. That’s it. No xanthan gum needed. (Although if you use a gluten-free flour mix that includes xanthan gum, it won’t be a problem.) Over time with gluten-free baking and “converting” gluten-free full recipes to gluten free, you learn which kind of simple substitution will work and which won’t.
Trust me on this, folks. It’s tempting to throw away all your “regular” cookbooks when you go gluten free. Don’t do that!
I confess that I almost got rid of all my “old” cookbooks myself because I was listening to those who said nothing would ever be the same again for me after going gluten free. Those are some pretty dramatic words, aren’t they? And we all know that going gluten free can feel pretty dramatic. Eating some crappy ready-made gluten-free baked goods can also feel pretty dramatic (like the-photo-at-the-beginning-of-this-post dramatic).
Plus, baking from scratch seems to take on new meaning when we first go gluten free. Until we get our bearings. And if we actually start baking gluten free, we will eventually do that!
Especially if we use the gluten free easily, gfe, approach. Meaning that we mainly focus on recipes that are naturally gluten free—yes, even baking recipes—and other recipes, such as today’s Caramel Squares, in which we can make simple substitutions to successfully make them gluten free.
Now for the recipe for these totally yummy gluten-free Caramel Squares! I really hope you will enjoy them! Update: Since I made these Caramel Squares, I’ve also created an apple version, Caramel Apple Squares.
More Irresistible Gluten-Free Caramel Recipes
~ Homemade Salted Caramels from My Gluten-Free Kitchen
~ Pecan Pie with Bacon Crust and Caramel Drizzle from Predominantly Paleo
~ Salted Caramel Apple Muffins
~ Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
~ Salted Caramel Shortbread Brownies
Gluten-Free Caramel Squares Recipe
These irresistible only require a handful of ingredients (and Kraft caramels are not on the list) and are quick and easy to make! If using an 8 x 8 pan instead of a 9 x 9 pan, baking time may be slightly longer. This recipe does not require xanthan gum but if that is already included in your gluten-free flour mix, it won’t negatively affect the recipe. Some have asked about egg substitutes for this recipe. I have not tried any in it but one reader reported that this recipe did not work at all with a flax gel egg.Gluten-Free Caramel Squares
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
If you are not using my Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Flour Mix, I recommend a gluten-free flour mix that is a mix of lighter flours and starches. I don’t recommend a heavier flour mix, for example, one that’s bean-flour based.
Lisa says
Oh my gosh!! I have all of these ingredients and am afraid to make it. The others in my family won’t get a bite. GIVE ME ALL THE CARAMEL! But seriously, this looks and sounds amazing! I can’t wait to make it!
Shirley Braden says
Lisa–Your comments always make my day! I think you–and the kiddos–will love these! I’m pretty sure that you will be happy to have the family to share these with, simply to keep you in check. 😉 On Facebook right after I made these, I said something to the effect of: “wish you were here … to keep me from eating all of these!” 🙂 Really hope you all enjoy these!
Shirley
Judee says
What a delicious sounding recipe and I love the pecans. I’m not eating desserts personally but its a great recipe to keep on hand for company.
Shirley Braden says
Thanks, Judee! I’m going to try an apple version next. Caramel Apple Squares. 🙂
Shirley
Lisa says
Genius!!!
Shirley Braden says
Hopefully! Fingers crossed, Lisa! 😉
Sherri says
This sounds delicious! Have you tried making this with an egg replacer?
Thank you, Sherri
Shirley Braden says
Hi Sherri–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 While I have not tried any egg replacers in this recipe and haven’t heard back from readers who have either, I feel confident the usual egg replacements would work fine. Commercial egg replacers, flax seed gel, or chia seed gel. Please let me know your results if you give one of them a go. Fingers crossed!
Shirley
Roberta Adams says
Can I sub tapioca flour for the cornstarch in the two ingredient flour mix?
Shirley Braden says
Hi Roberta–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Some readers have told me they did just that and had great success. I’m not sure that combination would work for pretty much almost recipe the same way the cornstarch and rice flour combo does though. I’d say give it a try and see if it works for the recipes you make. If you have time to report back, please do! And fingers crossed. 😉
Shirley
Linda says
Hi Shirley those looked so good that I made them the day I saw the recipe. Sadly I got a greasy mess. I used a flax egg. So disappointed. Any ideas what went wrong ? Thank for your time. Linda
Shirley Braden says
Hi Linda–Oh, no. 🙁 I’m so sorry to hear that! I really hoped that the usual egg subs would work in this recipe but I’m guessing that the caramel factor really requires an egg with the butter and brown sugar to work. Occasionally, flax can be too strong of a flavor and texture for some recipes. I wonder if commercial egg replacer would work better. If anyone tries it and reports back, I will let you know of course.
Shirley
Ethel says
I made this recipe today. No sampling yet but the aroma is amazing. What is the best way to store these squares?
Shirley Braden says
Hi Ethel–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Hope you love these treats! These treats have never lasted long enough in my house to store them any other way than in a the pan on the counter with a loose cover. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to put them in an airtight container or even put that container in the fridge but unless you’re keeping them for days, I don’t think it’s necessary. Hope that helps!
Shirley
Cari Lyons says
Do you think it would work if I added chocolate chips?
Shirley Braden says
Hi, Cari–I’m sure chocolate chips would work fine. I love the “plain” caramel flavor but I’ll be interested in your results with chocolate chips!
Shirley
Julie says
I’ve made these twice and the consistency wasn’t crispy on top like yours. It came out more like a cake. I used the correct ingredients apart from margarine instead of butter. I used the correct size tin. The only thing was we use organic eggs so they don’t have sizes but i picked a larger one which could have been medium. The first time I made it it was crispy but I can’t recall doing anything different.
Shirley Braden says
Julie–Using butter over margarine definitely results in a crispier top and edges. That’s a known fact about butter due to its higher fat content. I’m not sure why you got crispy results the first time when making this recipe with margarine and didn’t this time. Did you use a different brand of margarine? Water content in different brands can vary. Egg size could make a difference but I would think that a medium-sized egg would lead to crispier results vs less crispy. Sometimes it can be a guessing game when trying to figure out what caused different results. I hope you figure it out so you can always get crispy Caramel Squares! They’re definitely my preference as well. 🙂
Shirley
Marion Brooks says
I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour. Not sure
If that’s the same as Gluten Free Flour Mix. Do
I need to add anything to the flour? Looking
Forward to making these for my Celiac daughter.
Shirley Braden says
Hi, Marion. It looks like you’re new here. Welcome to gfe. 🙂 I’m not a fan of Bob’s Red Mill products but in theory, any gluten-free all-purpose flour mix should work in this recipe. You don’t need to add anything to the flour. Hope you and your daughter really enjoy these!
Shirley
Julie says
What sugar to use? I used light brown with big grains. Will that make a difference? I’ve used plant based dairy free butter 79% fat. Still not crispy on top. I’m perplexed 🤔😕
Shirley Braden says
Hi, Julie–The recipe calls for packed light brown sugar. I do notice that a freshly opened bag of light brown sugar does not yield great results with any recipe (I find it needs to “age” a bit or otherwise it’s too moist and doesn’t caramelize well). I can’t remember if we’ve discussed this previously but what gluten-free flour mix are you using? It seems like you’re using a different one now as you previoiusly did have crispy/crackly tops with this recipe.
Shirley
Shirley Braden says
Julie–Another thought is simply using flour mix without xanthan gum. I used my homemade Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Flour Mix and don’t add xanthan gum when making this recipe. Food for thought.
Shirley