SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERY CRUMB BARS

I love streusel or crumble toppings and the bigger the crumbles, the better. Throw in salted caramel, and you’re in for a wonderfully buttery and caramely treat. The bars are easy to make and you probably have everything on hand to make them now. The crust and topping are the same mixture, a nice time saver. Use Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce or thick storebought and not thin, runny, ice cream sundae sauce. Regular (non-salted) caramel sauce works too. As the bars bake, the caramel sauce intensifies in flavor, and it tastes richer, more buttery, and has a more intense caramel flavor. Biting through all the layers and getting a taste of the caramel filling is the best. Soft, chewy, and gooey all in one bite.

YIELD: one 8x8 pan, 9 to 12 generous squares PREP TIME: 10 minutes COOK TIME: about 50 minutes, divided TOTAL TIME: 3+ hours, for cooling


INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • heaping 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce (homemade or storebought, or regular caramel sauce) + more for drizzling







DIRECTIONS:
1-Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

2-To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, fluffy, and well combined, about 3 minutes.

3-Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
4-Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Dough shouldn't be overly sticky. If yours is sticky (mine was because I baked on a humid day), add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour, or as needed, until dough comes together without feeling sticky, however don't over-do it or dough could become crumbly.

5-Turn out one-third of the mixture out into prepared pan (err on the side of going over one-third if you're eyeballing it and unsure), pressing and hard-packing it with your fingers to form a smooth, even crust layer. Bake for 20 minutes. While crust bakes, refrigerate remaining two-thirds of dough.

6-After 20 minutes, remove pan from oven, and evenly pour heaping half cup salted caramel over crust.
Evenly crumble reserved dough over the top (it looks like a lot but some sinks down into the caramel layer while baking).

7-Return pan to oven and bake for about 25 to 32 minutes, or until top is barely golden browned and there's subtle signs of caramel bubbling.

8-Remove pan from oven, lightly and evenly drizzle with salted caramel, and place pan on a wire rack to cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth

 by:averiecooks.com

Popular posts from this blog

Summer sausage rolls

Image
When the weather is warmer, bring some sunshine flavours into everyone’s favourite afternoon tea and picnic snack Prep: 20 mins          Cook: 20 mins  Ingredients : 2 large skinless chicken breasts 1 garlic clove, crushed 3 rashers streaky bacon, thinly sliced 4 sundried tomatoes, chopped handful basil leaves, chopped 375g/13oz pack ready-rolled puff pastry flour, for dusting 1 egg yolk, beaten 25g sesame seeds Method: 1-Whizz the chicken and garlic in a processor until the chicken is minced. Tip in the bacon, sundried tomatoes and basil. Pulse for 5 secs to just mix through. Season well. 2-Roll the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut in half lengthways. Spread half the chicken mixture along the middle of one of the pastry strips, then roll up the pastry, pinching the ends together to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2.5cm long pieces. Repeat with the remaining pastry strip. Can be frozen, uncooked, for up to 1 month.
Keep reading

Custard kisses

Image
Try a homemade version of these old-school favourites for a comforting afternoon tea Prep: 30 mins            Cook: 10 mins  Ingredients: 175g softened butter 50g golden caster sugar 50g icing sugar 2 egg yolks 2 tsp vanilla extract 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 100g softened butter 140g icing sugar, sifted, plus a little extra 2 tbsp custard powder few drops yellow food colouring, if you have any Method: 1-Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the butter, sugars, egg yolks and vanilla with a wooden spoon until creamy, then mix in the flour in 2 batches. Roll out thinly on a floured surface, then use a standard 30cm ruler as a template to cut the dough into small, even squares. Do this by starting with the ruler flush with one side and cutting along the length of it. Repeat across the width of the dough, then do the same from the top down. Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 8-10 mins until golden. 2-Heat oven to 200C/1
Keep reading

Lemon kisses

Image
Who could resist a kiss? These dainty melt-in-the-mouth biscuits make a scrumptious addition to an afternoon tea spread Prep: 30 mins        Cook: 12 mins                                 Ingredients:
Read more