Twix for Grown-ups

Words can't explain the yumminess of these things.  I was looking for something amazing to bring to a dinner party at a friends, so I naturally turned to Annie's Eats - one of my favorite cooking blogs.  If you haven't explored her blog, I highly recommend it.  The photographs are gorgeous, and the food; delicious. 

These are really sweet so I cut them into tiny squares and they were the perfect bite.  I put them in the freezer, because I was running out of time, and left them in there a little too long.  I tried cutting them frozen and it wasn't pretty.  Also, not pretty trying to eat them when they are frozen.  I was a little impatient and totally tore up my gums, the roof of my mouth and the floor of my mouth.  They were much easier to cut when they came to room temp.  Annie suggests serving them chilled, but I like them room temp.  Personal preference...

These would be such good treats to give away for Christmas.  The little box below is my iPod Nano box.  I told Zak that we need to buy about 50 iPod nano's so I can use the boxes to package the treats because they are perfect.  For some reason, he said we didn't have it in the budget and that maybe I should write Apple and ask them to send me some boxes in exchange for some home made candy.  Maybe I'll just go to Michael's craft store and look for something similar (or maybe even better).

Anyways, here is the recipe courtesy of Annie's Eats:

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Yield: about 5 dozen small bars

Ingredients:

For the 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

For the caramel layer:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp. light corn syrup

2 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) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Fleur de sel or sea salt, for sprinkling 

Directions:

To make the shortbread layer, preheat the oven to 325° F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to blend, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed blend in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  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.)  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.  

To make the 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.)

To make the 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 fleur de sel.  Chill, covered, until ready to slice and serve.  

I hate that they have sweat on them, but it was the day after I made them...

The nano box was perfect!

Seriously, one of these babies is enough