Monday, November 28, 2011

Dulce de Leche Chocolate Bars



Oh, these are so good. Reminiscent of the caramel chocolate bars, these lovelies have a shortbread crust, caramel layer, chocolate layer, and then an added white chocolate decorative layer. You can get as fancy as you want with the top - I just did a simple swirl but you more creative types could make something more beautiful. But regardless of the fanciness factor of the topping, these are absolutely delicious and would be an impressive addition to any cookie tray.

The first step is to prep your pan. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper, using a little more paper than the length of the pan to create "handles."



Then make the shortbread layer. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.



Beat in vanilla, salt and flour



until well combined. Press along bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the paper-lined pan.



Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, just until golden brown around the edges. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Now, make the caramel layer (I guess I should say dulce de leche!). Combine the butter, brown sugar,



salt and sweetened condensed milk,



and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring constantly, unil thickened and a deep caramel color.



Pour over crust and spread evenly.



Refrigerate until completely cool, about 1 hour. For the chocolate layer, melt the semisweet chocolate, and then let cool slightly. Dollop over the dulce de leche



then spread evenly over the filling with a spatula.



Return to the fridge (I know it's hard to wait!) and cool until set, about 1 hour.

For the topping, melt the white chocolate and divide into three parts. Tint one part green,



one part red and leave one part white. Dollop these three over semisweet layer (you'll see I only used two colors - slight red tint fail...)



and use a toothpick to gently swirl colors.



Refrigerate for another hour or so to set the topping. Remove the bars using the parchment handles and then cut into bars. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

One year ago: Oatmeal Spice Drop Cookies
Two years ago: Sara's Chili

For more great ideas, visit Mangia Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Menu Mondays, Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday (#2), Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Made from Scratch Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesday (#3), A Little Birdie Told Me, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Recipes I can't wait to try, Crockpot Wednesday, What's on your plate?, These Chicks Cooked, What's Cooking Wednesday, Let's Do Brunch.

Dulce de Leche Chocolate Bars

Crust:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
7 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk
pinch salt
10 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Decoration:
6 oz. white chocolate, melted
red and green food coloring

Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides to form "handles."

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then flour and salt until combined well. Press along bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 12 to 18 minutes, just until golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, milk and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened and a deep caramel color, about 15 minutes. Pour over crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 1 hour.

Melt semisweet chocolate, and let cool slightly. Using a spatula, evenly spread over filling. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate and divide into three parts. Tint one part green, one part red and leave one part white. Dollop these three over semisweet layer and use a toothpick to gently swirl colors. Refrigerate again for about an hour to set. Remove the bars using the parchment handles and cut into bars. Makes 48 bars.

10 comments:

  1. Wow does that look delicious. I love this for the holidays! Come visit us today. We have pumpkin fried rice. Be sure to pop back over on Friday December 3. We have a great give away from The Shabby Apple!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These bars look awesome! My husband loves mint. I will have to try these. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would not be able to wait for it to cool, it looks too good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. *Whimper* Crust, caramel, chocolate....me want now! Such a delicious treat! Thanks for sharing on Crazy Sweet Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,

    I am hosting a Holiday Cookie Recipe swap and would love to get the word out to other bloggers to post and share their recipe. I do get good traffic on my site so it would mean traffic for others.

    http://happyhomemakercindy.com/2011/11/the-hhc-holiday-cookie-recipe-swap/

    I would love it if you could share the idea with you blogger friends.

    Thanks,

    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a yummy looking goodie. Cannot wait to try it out. We have a great pumpkin fried rice recipe this week. And be sure to visit us on Friday and register for a great give away from The Shabby Apple.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yum! That looks super delicious!

    Stopping by from Mouthwatering Monday

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much for sharing your talent on “A Little Birdie Told Me…” at Rook No. 17! With all the parties out there to choose from, it means a lot that you take the time be a part of mine! Warmest wishes, Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  9. These look so pretty and sound so good! I like the step by step photo instructions as well. Thank you for sharing this post with Let's Do Brunch.

    ReplyDelete

Powered by Blogger.