This was the very first time I attempted to make such a dessert. =) And to be honest I expected it to be a total disaster. But to my surprise they turned out perfect. Sweet and soft with a bit of a crunch from the cornflakes, and easy to make. Yes, it does take a few steps to make them, and some ingredients have to be made a few hours ahead, but they are worth the effort.
Gather and measure the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Make sure there is enough overhang, to be able to remove from the pan easily.
Beat the softened butter with a hand/stand mixer (I used a hand mixer with a standard whisk attachment) for about 1 minute, until soft and creamy.
Add flour, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and salt. Beat on high for about 2 minutes. The mix will become a bit crumbly. Remove the mixer and with your hands make the dough come together.
Press the dough into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Here you can wait until it cooled down completely or add the corn flakes now. Just sprinkle them on top and spread out evenly. (The cornflakes are optional, the bars are delicious either way).
Allow the dough to cool completely before adding the caramel layer. (To speed up the process you can put the pan in the fridge for half an hour, just make sure to put something heat proof underneath)
Once the dough has cooled completely, spread the caramel evenly on top. (Warm up a bit the caramel, can be taken our of the fridge or if it was prepared the same day, then just add it once its at room temperature.)
Stick the pan in the fridge, to allow caramel to cool down a bit before adding the melted chocolate.
To make the chocolate: in a small/medium pot heat up the chocolate with butter or coconut oil (I used butter). Until melted and well combined. Can also be melted in the microwave, with a few 15 second increments. Just mix well after each one.
Once the caramel has cooled down, pour and evenly spread the chocolate. And once again put everything in the fridge to cool completely. Can take a few hours.
When the chocolate has cooled and hardened, pull the bars out of the pan, using the overhang paper, careful not to crack in the middle. Cut with a sharp knife into desired slices. Enjoy!!!
To store: store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to a week.
Salted Caramel Bar
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Hand mixer (whisk attachment)
- Baking form
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons Unsalted butter, slightly soft (145 g)
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons All purpose flour (141 g)
- ¼ cup Granulated white sugar (50 g)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Salted Caramel Sauce (240 ml) (Full recipe under: Salted Caramel Sauce)
- 1 cup Cornflakes (50 g)
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate (180 g semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 2 teaspoons Coconut oil or butter
- Salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Make sure there is enough overhang, to be able to remove from the pan easily.
- Beat the softened butter with a hand/stand mixer (I used a hand mixer with a standard whisk attachment) for about 1 minute, until soft and creamy. Add flour, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and salt. Beat on high for about 2 minutes. The mix will become a bit crumbly. Remove the mixer and with your hands make the dough come together. Press the dough into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
- Take the pan out of the oven and allow to cool. Sprinkle with cornflakes, or crushed nuts, or pretzels. All of those are optional and the bars will be delicious either way.
- While the pan is in the oven, you can prepare the caramel sauce. Allow it to cool down to room temperature, before adding to the crust. Once added to the crust, allow to cool down completely (in the fridge) before topping with melted chocolate.
- In a small/medium pot heat up the chocolate with butter or coconut oil (I used butter) until melted and well combined. Can also be melted in the microwave, with a few 15 second increments. Just mix well after each one.
- Pour/spread over the caramel and stick it int he fridge to cool down and to allow the chocolate to harden, before cutting.
- When the chocolate has cooled and hardened, pull the bars out of the pan, using the overhang paper, careful not to crack it in the middle. Cut with a sharp knife into desired slices. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. (I store it in the fridge, gives the chocolate a nice crunch).
