Salted Chocolate-Caramel Bars

Name: Salted Chocolate-Caramel Bars
Ingredients: FOR THE SHORTBREAD BASE:; 1 cup All-purpose Flour; 1/4 cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; 1 stick Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Chunks, At Room Temperature; 1/3 cups Sugar; 1/4 cups Fine Sea Salt; FOR THE CARAMEL TOPPING:; 1 cup Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Water; 1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup; 1/2 cups Heavy Cream, At Room Temperature (or Slightly Warmed In A Microwave); 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Cut Into 3 Pieces And Very Soft; 1/4 teaspoons Fleur De Sel Or A Good-size Pinch Of Fine Sea Salt; 2 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped; 1/2 cups Pecans, Toasted And Coarsely Chopped

15 ingredients

9 steps

Ingredients

FOR THE SHORTBREAD BASE:
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/4 cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 stick Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Chunks, At Room Temperature
1/3 cups Sugar
1/4 cups Fine Sea Salt
FOR THE CARAMEL TOPPING:
1 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Water
1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
1/2 cups Heavy Cream, At Room Temperature (or Slightly Warmed In A Microwave)
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Cut Into 3 Pieces And Very Soft
1/4 teaspoons Fleur De Sel Or A Good-size Pinch Of Fine Sea Salt
2 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped
1/2 cups Pecans, Toasted And Coarsely Chopped

Directions

1

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Generously butter (or spray) an 8-inch square pan.
2

For the shortbread base:
3

Whisk together flour and cocoa powder. Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and salt together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once and beat on low until the dough comes together. This will take a little longer than you might expect, so don't get discouraged. Give the dough a few last turns with a flexible spatula and scrape it out into the pan.
4

Using your fingertips, pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan; press down and make sure to get the dough into the corners. Bake the shortbread for 21-23 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes, or until it is slightly darker around the edges and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan; it will not feel completely firm if poked gently. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the shortbread to cool completely.
5

For the caramel topping:
6

Put a small bowl of cold water and a pastry brush (preferably silicone) next to the stove. Put the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan or skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow the ingredients to bubble away, brushing down the sides of the pan with cold water if there are spatters and swirling the pan a couple of times once you start seeing some color, until the caramel turns a pale to medium amber. (Don't let it get as dark as mahogany.) Lower the heat, stand away from the pan and add the cream, followed by the butter and salt-ingredients that might cause the caramel to roil. Remove the pan from the heat, drop in the chocolate and, using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir to blend.Pour the hot caramel over the shortbread and sprinkle with the nuts. Allow to set at room temperature.
7

When the caramel is firm, run a table knife around the sides of the pan, carefully unmold the cookie onto a rack and turn it over onto a cutting board. Using a long thin knife, cut 21 bars (cut into 3 strips and then cut each strip into 7 bars). Alternatively, leave the cookie whole and cut individual bars as needed.
8

When the caramel is fully set, the cookies (cut or intact) can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving.
9

Recipe from Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan.