Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars
This is a new
favorite. These remind me of the old
slogan "Betcha can’t eat just
one". They are so
good. About half way thru making the
caramel layer you'll wonder why you started but keep at it... definitely worth
all that stirring!
For the
shortbread layer:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking
powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup (2
sticks) butter
½ cup sugar
For the
caramel layer:
1 cup (2
sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. light
corn syrup
2 (14 oz.)
cans sweetened condensed milk
For the
chocolate layer:
8 oz.
semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. light
corn syrup
½ cup (1
stick butter)
sea salt
Shortbread layer - Preheat the oven to 325° F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking
oil spray. In a small bowl combine the
flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to blend. Mix in the butter and sugar. Will be a crumbly mixture. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking
pan and press in an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. (If the crust puffs up a bit while baking, just
gently press it down while it is cooling.)
Let cool completely.
Caramel layer
- Combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup
and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter
is melted. Increase the heat to
medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce
the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue simmering and stirring until the
mixture turns an amber color and thickens slightly. Pour the mixture over the shortbread layer,
smooth the top, and allow to cool completely and set. (I chilled at this stage to ensure that the
caramel layer would not melt when the warm chocolate was added.)
Chocolate
glaze - combine the chocolate, corn
syrup, and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the
chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour evenly over the caramel layer and use an
offset spatula to smooth the top. Allow
to cool for a minute or two and then sprinkle with sea salt. Chill, covered, until ready to slice and
serve.
