Salted Caramel Bars!
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:30 am
I wanted to share one of my favorite treats with you guys, one that is pretty easy to make & absolutely always a hit (when I share... ) The flakiness of the shortbread totally balances out the heavy salted caramel on top for the perfect sweet treat! All I can really say about these is that they are absolutely...
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk, whisked
1 2/3 cups AP flour
Caramel Topping
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
12 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Sea salt flakes
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees & line a 9-by-9-inch pan with parchment paper or foil (make sure the edges of the parchment/foil hang over the sides so that you can remove the bars easier).
*In a large bowl combine the butter, sugar & salt with a fork. Once combined add the yolk & combine. Add the flour & using your hands, mix the dough until its nice & flaky.
*Transfer the dough into the parchment/foil lined pan & press down with your hands (or you can use the bottom of the measuring cup).
*Refrigerate this for 25-30 minutes. Once it's chilled, bake for approx. 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Once baked, remove & set aside to cool (I put the pan on top of a wire rack to cool a bit faster).
*Meanwhile, in a pot combine the caramel topping ingredients; butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar & cream.
*Bring to a boil & make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Stir for about 5-10 minutes until its thick and bubbly. If you have a candy thermometer the caramel should be around 230 degrees. (I don't have a candy thermometer so my trick is that once it boils, I stir for exactly 5 mins & then remove from the heat- otherwise the caramel ends up impossible to eat- less than 5 mins it's too gooey & doesn't set quite right, more than 5 mins & it's just too hard to chew. My stove totally sucks, so this could vary depending on your stove)
*Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract & pour it all on top of the shortbread.
*Refrigerate for at least 2 hours then sprinkle with the sea salt & serve!
Stored in the fridge they should keep for at least a week- they've never lasted any longer than that here, so they may last longer- though I'm sure we'll never find out :facepalm::
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk, whisked
1 2/3 cups AP flour
Caramel Topping
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
12 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Sea salt flakes
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees & line a 9-by-9-inch pan with parchment paper or foil (make sure the edges of the parchment/foil hang over the sides so that you can remove the bars easier).
*In a large bowl combine the butter, sugar & salt with a fork. Once combined add the yolk & combine. Add the flour & using your hands, mix the dough until its nice & flaky.
*Transfer the dough into the parchment/foil lined pan & press down with your hands (or you can use the bottom of the measuring cup).
*Refrigerate this for 25-30 minutes. Once it's chilled, bake for approx. 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Once baked, remove & set aside to cool (I put the pan on top of a wire rack to cool a bit faster).
*Meanwhile, in a pot combine the caramel topping ingredients; butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar & cream.
*Bring to a boil & make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Stir for about 5-10 minutes until its thick and bubbly. If you have a candy thermometer the caramel should be around 230 degrees. (I don't have a candy thermometer so my trick is that once it boils, I stir for exactly 5 mins & then remove from the heat- otherwise the caramel ends up impossible to eat- less than 5 mins it's too gooey & doesn't set quite right, more than 5 mins & it's just too hard to chew. My stove totally sucks, so this could vary depending on your stove)
*Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract & pour it all on top of the shortbread.
*Refrigerate for at least 2 hours then sprinkle with the sea salt & serve!
Stored in the fridge they should keep for at least a week- they've never lasted any longer than that here, so they may last longer- though I'm sure we'll never find out :facepalm::