Salted Caramel Bars – Recipe!

I made Millionaire’s Bars for the first time last Christmas, and they were such a hit, that I decided to bake them again, except using a different recipe.  This year, I adapted Paul Hollywood’s Salted Caramel Bars, the pastry chef from The British Baking Show, because I read that his recipe was superb.  The term Millionaire’s Shortbread is used in Scotland and most likely where they got their name, but the original recipe for these bars was thought to have first been published in an Australian journal in the 1970’s.

The base of the recipe is shortbread cookie dough, which after baking, gives these bars an incredibly delicate crust.  The crust is the only part of this cookie that you actually bake, and the middle layer is made on the stove top, and I used my microwave to melt the chocolate for the top.  I did take some liberties to make this recipe a little more user friendly.

What I found was that the ingredients in most Millionaire Bars or Salted Caramel Bars are fairly similar, but it’s how you put them together that counts.  This recipe turned out beautifully, and they slice up easily, after an overnight rest in the refrigerator.  I highly recommend making these for the holidays, and surely they will be the most popular cookie on the table.

Ingredients

Crust

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Caramel Layer

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

3 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, Maldon recommended

Chocolate Layer

2 cups dark chocolate chunks

(Makes 16 Bars)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and line a 11 x 7 or 9 x 9 inch pan, with parchment paper over hanging sides.  Set aside.
2. For Crust – In a stand mixer or bowl, cream together sugar and butter for 3 minutes.  Scrape down sides, add flour and salt.  Mix on low until coarse crumbs, remove bowl.  Dump crumbs into prepared pan, and press into bottom.  Prick dough with a fork in several places.  Bake in oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.  Remove and cool.
3. For Caramel Layer – In a saucepan, add brown sugar, condensed milk, and corn syrup.  Place over medium-low heat until melted.  Reduce heat to low and stir with a whisk constantly until thick and glossy, about 8-10 minutes (Be careful not to cook too high, or you will burn it).  Pour caramel over cooled crust, and sprinkle with salt.  Let rest for 1 hour.
4. In a microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and melt in 1 minute intervals, until smooth, about 3 minutes total.  Pour over caramel layer, and smooth out over top.  Place in refrigerator until ready to slice into bars.  Enjoy!