Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Once a month, my dad and his friends get together to play a friendly game of poker, and I usually provide some sweets!  Recently, I was asked to make whatever I wanted - and I decided that this was a great opportunity to try out something new.

I have TONS of all sorts of recipes pinned on Pinterest - and these Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars stood out.  Melt in your mouth shortbread, topped with a thick layer of rich, buttery, and perfectly chewy caramel, finished with a chocolate glaze and salt?  Delicious!  These bars got rave reviews; I'll certainly be making them again soon.  Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Yield: Approximately 5 dozen small bars

Ingredients

Shortbread layer:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar

Caramel layer:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate layer:
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. light corn syrup
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Fleur de sel or sea salt, for sprinkling

Prepare shortbread:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F, and line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (I like for the parchment to hang over the sides of the baking pan, which makes it really easy to get the bars out of the pan).  
2. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to blend; set aside.  
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.  
4. With the mixer on low speed, blend in the dry ingredients until just incorporated - do not over-mix.  
5. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  
6. 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.)  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Prepare caramel:

1. Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  
2. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  
3. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly.  
4. Continue simmering and stirring until the mixture turns an amber color and thickens slightly (this will take a while).  
5. Pour the mixture over the shortbread layer, smooth the top, and allow to cool completely and set.  You can put the pan into the refrigerator to speed things up; make sure the caramel is completely cool before pouring on the chocolate glaze.

Prepare chocolate glaze:

1. Combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  
2. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. 
3. Pour evenly over the caramel layer and use an offset spatula to smooth the top.  
4. Allow to cool for a minute or two and then sprinkle with fleur de sel.  
5. Chill, covered, until ready to slice and serve.  Great with coffee or tea!

Source:
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Print Recipe