Chocolate Toffee Caramel Bars

Chocolate, Toffee and Caramel on top of an Almond Crust.

I was trying to come up with a good Caramel bar recipe. I first started with a salted Caramel Bar but somehow I felt the Salt didn’t pair well with my Crust, so I changed it up and on the second go around, I added Chocolate Chips and Toffee Bits instead. My bars got a better score this time around and the Chocolate, Toffee Bits with the Caramel were a big hit. A great flavor combination on an Almond Crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits
• 1 (11 oz.) Bag Caramels
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/4 Cup Sour cream
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Tablespoon Almond Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 & 3/4 Cup Flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 Degrees.

2. Line a 13 x 9 pan with foil allowing the foil to hang over the edges. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Butter, Sugar and Powdered Sugar using a handheld mixer until creamy.

4. Mix in the Almond Extract and Sour Cream until well combined.

5. Stir in the Flour until a soft dough forms as you see here.

6. Press the Dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. The Dough will be a bit sticky so you may want to butter a spatula or your hands to do so.

7. Bake the Crust for 20-25 minutes. Look for the edges to be a light golden brown.

8. About 10 minutes prior to the Crust being done, unwrap the Caramels and place them in a medium microwave safe bowl. Add the Heavy Cream and the Vanilla to the bowl. Microwave the Caramels in 20 second intervals, stirring as you go. The Caramel, Heavy Cream and Vanilla will start to come together as the Caramels melt.

9. When the Crust is done, remove it from the oven and pour the warm Caramel over the Crust. Use a spatula to spread the Caramel evenly over the Crust. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or just until the Caramel is bubbly. Remove the pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle the Toffee Bits over the Caramel followed by the Chocolate Chips.

10. Pop the bars back in the oven for 2 minutes to soften the Chocolate. After 2 minutes remove the Bars and allow them to cool completely, then place the pan of bars in the refrigerator for about an hour to make it easier to cut them.

11. Using the foil,lift the Bars out of the pan. Remove the foil and transfer the sheet of Bars to a cutting board. Cut the Bars in 3 x 3 squares to serve. Store Bars in a covered container.

Recipe by: Hot Dish Homemaker