Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Wow- these bars were so, so good.  At Christmas, I made my usual caramels, but for some reason, they weren't really getting eaten. Not sure why- but I wanted to use them up in something soon after New Year's. I had seen some recipes on Mel's Kitchen Cafe using caramels, so I went and picked out the one that looked the easiest, lol. They were SO GOOD! They didn't taste "easy" at all (ha ha).  The cookie part had the exact perfect texture, and the caramel in this was amazing. I could not stop eating these.  I might make caramels again next Christmas just to make these with the leftovers. 

Salted Caramel Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Bars 

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

¾ cup (170 g) salted butter
1 cup (212 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (255 g) chocolate chips (I used 1 cup)
14-ounce bag (397 g) soft caramels, unwrapped (not caramel sauce) OR 14 oz homemade caramels 
2-3 tablespoons milk or cream (I used milk)
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan (I use metal) with parchment paper (to make cleanup easier with the caramel). Lightly grease the bottom and sides with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2.  Brown the butter by cutting the butter into tablespoon-size pieces and placing in a skillet (preferably not nonstick so you can see the changing color easily.) Cook over medium-low heat until the butter melts, begins to sizzle, and the butter solids on the bottom begin to turn a toasty brown, 3-4 minutes. Watch closely; the exact time will vary. Do not let it get too dark. Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a medium bowl. Refrigerate the butter for 10 minutes or so (not too long or it will solidify) until no longer hot. Stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt to the browned butter until evenly combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until no dry streaks remain.

3.  Take about 2/3 of the dough and dot in large pieces across the bottom of the prepared pan. Press into an even, thin layer.  Add the unwrapped caramels and milk/cream to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 1-minute increments at 50% power, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth (careful not to burn).

4.  Spread the caramel, while still warm, over the cookie dough in the pan. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Pinch teaspoon-size pieces of remaining cookie dough and sprinkle across the caramel. Bake for 20-27 minutes until the cookie dough is golden (the bars will be super gooey coming out of the oven – like molten lava because of the melted caramel; as long as the top and sides are golden, they'll set up as they cool. Do not overake). Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

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Cashew Caramel Cookies

I made these back around Christmas-time, using leftover homemade caramels we had made for Christmas. I made a half-batch and we really liked them. I haven't had a chance to post much lately, or really cook or bake anything lately, because I was doing student teaching to finish a degree.  But, I just finished! Now I can start doing normal things again.  

Cashew Caramel Cookies
Adapted from the Kitchn. Note- I cut this in half

2 sticks butter (8 ounces/226 grams)
2 cupstoasted salted or unsalted cashews (260 grams)
36 soft caramel candies (about 1 1/2 cups/293 grams total), such as Kraft (I used homemade)
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar (267 grams)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour (384 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Melt 2 sticks butter in the microwave or on the stovetop and set aside to cool slightly. Coarsely chop 2 cups toasted salted or unsalted cashews. Unwrap 36 soft caramel candies.

2. Place the butter, 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cashews, 2 large eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and whisk until ribbony and smooth. Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

3. Using your hands, take 2 caramel candies, press them together, and roll them into a smooth ball. (Depending on the brand and freshness of your caramel candies, they might be too firm to press together. If so, arrange the caramels in a single layer on a large microwave-safe plate and microwave for 30 seconds until the caramels are warm but not melting. If you accidently microwave them too long and they start to melt, just let them cool for a few minutes.) **I used one caramel**

4. Using a large 2 1/3-inch (#16) cookie scoop or 1/4-cup measuring cup, portion out the dough and roll into large balls. **I made regular-sized cookies, using a regular cookie scoops and one caramel for each cookie** Flatten the balls slightly and press a caramel ball into the center of each one. Tightly form the dough around the caramel and reroll into a ball again. Make sure there are no cracks so the caramel does not ooze out during baking. Place the dough balls 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheets (6 to 8 per sheet).

5. Bake 2 sheets at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through baking, until the tops of the cookies are lightly browned, 14 to 17 minutes total. **I can only bake one sheet at a time in my little oven, and my smaller cookies only needed 8-9 minutes** Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for at least 30 minutes before moving. (If you try to pick up the cookies while still hot, the caramel will fall out—and potentially burn you—so be patient.) Keep baking batches until dough is gone.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

On our family trip to Spain back in 2019, we went to Gibraltar for one day.  At a restaurant there, we tried Sticky Toffee Pudding.  I had never had it before, and really, really loved it.  I've wanted to make it ever since then.  I saved a few recipes, but finally settled on one from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I meant to make this for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but didn't get around to it until after that.  The recipe was easy and the whole family loved it!  I really, really loved it.  I made it in a 8x8 pan (or maybe it's 9x9). 

Sticky Toffee Pudding

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cake:

6 ounces (170 g) dates, pitted and finely chopped (I bought pitted dates for ease)
¾ cup boiling water
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cup (178 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Sauce:
¾ cup (159 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
½ cup (113 g) butter
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Pinch of coarse, kosher salt
¼ to ½ cup chopped pecans, optional (I didn't use)
Additional heavy whipping cream for drizzling, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8X8- or 9X9-inch pan.  For the cake, in a medium bowl, stir together the dates, boiling water, baking soda and vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.

2.  In a separate medium bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and butter with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until well-combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Add the eggs and mix.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.  Fold in the date mixture (no need to drain) until combined; don’t overmix.

4.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.  Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch.  May need more baking time, but don’t overbake or the cake may be dry.

5.  Let the cake cool completely in the pan – although the cake can be served slightly warm also.

6.  For the sauce, combine the sugar, butter, cream, and salt in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth and combined, 5-7 minutes.  Cut cake into squares and pour the warm sauce over the individual servings.  Sprinkle with pecans, if using; and drizzle with a teaspoon or so of heavy cream.                                                   

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Millionaire's Shortbread/Caramel Slice (Coconut-Free)

These delicous bars are what I always thought of homemade Twix bars.  They're also known as Millionaire's Shortbread, or Caramel Slice, depending on what country you're in.  I found this recipe on an Australian blog, and there, they are called Caramel Slices.  I omitted the coconut, and added almond flour in its place, so I hope they can still be considered Caramel Slices.  (By the way, the almond flour sub was perfect; the texture of the shortbread is amazing.) 

Millionaire's Shortbread/Caramel Slice

adapted from Recipe Tin

BASE

1 cup flour, plain/all purpose
1/2 cup brown sugar , loosely packed
1/2 cup almond flour OR desiccated (finely shredded) coconut 
125g / 4.5oz / 1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon salted butter, melted

CARAMEL FILLING
125g / 4.5oz /1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon butter, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (80g) brown sugar , loosely packed
1 tsp vanilla extract 
395g / 14oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can, 300ml) 

CHOCOLATE TOPPING
200g / 7oz dark or milk melting chocolate (US: semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

1.  BASE: Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (fan 160°C).  Grease and line a 28x 18cm (lamington pan) / 7" x 11" rectangle pan with baking/parchment paper. (I used an 8" x 8" pan; just greased it; no parchment paper.)  Mix together Base ingredients and press into a pan using a silicone spatula.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until the surface is golden. Cool in fridge while you make the caramel. 

2.  CARAMEL:  Lower oven to oven to 160°C/320°F (fan 140°C).  Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over medium low heat. When the butter is melted, whisk to combine with sugar, then just leave it until it comes to a simmer.  When bubbles appear, add condensed milk. Whisk constantly for 5 minutes OR until you start getting some big slow bubbles on the base. (Mine only took a minute or two for this to happen). Once bubbles start appearing, whisk for 1 minute, then pour onto Base. Tilt pan to spread evenly.
Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on counter for 20 minutes then refrigerate 30 minutes - bottom of pan should be warm but surface cool (not cold) to touch. 

3.  CHOCOLATE:  Place chocolate and oil in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until chocolate is fully melted (takes me 4 x 30 sec). (I always melt chocolate in a double boiler on the stovetop, so I did that here). Pour over caramel, spread with a silicone spatula or the back of a spoon. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set. Remove from fridge and leave out for 5 minutes to take chill out of chocolate slightly. Then cut into bars or squares to serve!

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Easy Caramel Sauce

Yum- I loved this caramel sauce.  I have a few caramel sauce recipes on here already, but they're all different and so, so good.  Lol.  This reminds me of this caramel sauce, in that it uses simple ingredients that you just cook together on the stove.  No candy thermometer, no cooking plain sugar alone first, no corn syrup.  It's not grainy, either.  It's perfect.

Easy Caramel Sauce 

adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk plus more as needed depending on desired consistency
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1.  Add butter, brown sugar, water, and salt to medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring until butter melts.

2.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a vigorous simmer, whisking constantly until thickened, approximately 5-7 minutes. The caramel sauce will thickens more as it cools. 

3.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup evaporated milk (it will bubble) and vanilla. Add additional evaporated milk to reach desired consistency, if needed.

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Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing

I made these a few weeks ago for a special breakfast.  My daughter loves cinnamon rolls but I only bake them once or twice a year, lol.  Luckily I bought a fresh jar of yeast right before this craziness started, and my local store still had flour regularly until a few days ago.  I'm sorry for those who can't get these things right now. (I can't find any more yeast to buy now, though... hope there is more when I need it!)

Anyway.... these cinnamon rolls were so good! I took a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe for the rolls themselves and used my own caramel icing.  I loved this combo.  The buttermilk cinnamon rolls were so fluffy and tender.  I think I'll use this as my base for cinnamon rolls from now on and just change up the icing.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and Here

ROLLS:

3/4 cup buttermilk, warm (try pouring the buttermilk in a glass liquid measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute on 50% power)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 tablespoon regular* or instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour

FILLING:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Caramel Icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/2  cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (can just use milk, too)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1.  For the dough, add the warmed buttermilk and butter to a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or you can use a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon). With the mixer running, add the eggs, sugar, yeast, salt and 1 cup of the flour. *If using regular (non-instant) yeast, proof in a bowl first with warm buttermilk and a pinch of sugar- then continue on. 

2.  Continue adding flour, just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft but not so sticky that it leaves a ton of residue on your fingers. Let it knead for just 1-2 minutes until it has come together in a soft, tacky ball.

3.  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen (you can speed up the rising by placing the covered bowl of dough in a very lightly warmed oven).

4.  Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish   In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.

5.  When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly greased counter and press it into a 16 by 12-inch rectangle.  Gently spread the softened butter over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula or just your fingers.

6.  Sprinkle on the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom edges. Lightly use the palms of your hands to press the brown sugar mixture into the butter, adhering it to the dough.
Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Gently stretch the log to be 15- or so inches in length with an even diameter all the way throughout and pat the ends to even them up.

7.  Using a serrated knife, (or a piece of thread or floss) slice the log into 12 evenly sized rolls (or more if you like your rolls thinner). Arrange the rolls cut side down on the prepared baking pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it's really important to let them rise well or else they won't be light and fluffy after they've baked. (You can put them in the fridge overnight here.... works out perfectly.  Just remove from the fridge while the oven preheats in the morning.)

8.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are very lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned.

9.  While rolls are baking, prepare the caramel icing: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir until combined. Continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Add the heavy whipping cream or milk and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Whisk in the powdered sugar until nice and smooth. (I always have lumps in my icing because I'm too lazy to sift the powdered sugar.... but you can if you want.)

7. Remove rolls from oven and pour on icing immediately, or let them cool a few minutes and then pour on. Let cool slightly and serve.

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Quick & Easy Toffee Shortbread Cookies

These cookies were so fast to make, and so good!  I love both shortbread and toffee.  The original recipe calls for adding an icing, but these don't need it.  Leaving off the icing makes these even quicker to make.  You use a whole bag of toffee bits, which seems like too much, but it works.  They (the toffee bits) melt around the edges and get a little crispy.  So good!  This recipe calls for rum flavoring.  I think mine was old, because I couldn't taste it.  I'm going to buy some new stuff and make these again.

Happy Thanksgiving!  These aren't necessarily Thanksgiving-y, but they'd make a great addition to a Christmas cookie tray.

Quick & Easy Toffee Shortbread Cookies
adapted from Taste of Home
See the original recipe (link above) for icing recipe

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (8 ounces) brickle toffee bits

1.  Preheat oven to 375°. Beat first four ingredients until blended. Beat in flour. Stir in toffee bits. Shape dough into 1-in. balls (I used a regular-sized cookie scoop); place 2 in. apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

2.  Bake until edges are light brown and toffee bits begin to melt, 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

I made this right before we left on our long summer vacation.  We ate it all in one sitting- lol.  It was SO good!  I didn't realize one could make caramel sauce from buttermilk, but it worked.  Mine had some little weird bits as you can see in the pic, but it did not affect the taste at all.  I can't wait to make this again.  I'm so glad for The Kitchn- where I'm getting so many good recipes these days. The recipe calls for unsalted butter- but I used salted, to add that extra flavor.  I also added extra sea salt at the end, to make a more salted caramel.

Buttermilk Caramel Sauce
adapted from The Kitchn

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk, divided
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Large Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Melt the butter in a deep, medium saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbling. Add the sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in 2/3 cup of the buttermilk, corn syrup, and salt, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is deep amber in color, about 10 minutes

2.  Remove from the heat, and pour in the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk and vanilla. The mixture will bubble up and release a lot of steam. Use a long-handled whisk to whisk vigorously until the bubbling subsides and the mixture is smooth.

3.  Return the pan to medium-high heat and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes more. Carefully taste and add more salt if desired.  The sauce will also thicken as it cools, so stop cooking when the sauce is still a bit thin for your liking. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm. 

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Easy Salted Caramels

I tried these caramels because they looked SO easy, I love caramels, and I had everything on hand. They were very easy and so good! They only use a handful of ingredients and you don't need a candy thermometer.

Easy Salted Caramels
adapted from Creme de la Crumb

1½ sticks butter (12 tablespoons)
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (or honey)
14 oz sweetened condensed milk

½ teaspoon vanilla
coarse sea salt

1.  In a medium sauce pan combine butter and sugar and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in corn syrup and condensed milk.  Bring to a boil and then decrease to simmer. Cook and stir for 7-10 minutes or until mixture achieves deep golden color, stirring constantly.

2.  Pour caramel into a greased 8x8 inch pan (glass is best, I think) and allow to cool completely. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired. When completely cooled, cut into squares and wrap in wax paper.

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Caramel Monkey Bread

I combined two recipes already on here (in a real cooking funk lately, obviously.... I don't even have new recipes anymore!) to make this delicious caramel cinnamon monkey bread.  Our family loves this caramel frosting.  It made a little too much for the rolls, but we just dipped them in it.  Sugar for days.

Caramel Monkey Bread
rolls from here, icing from here

Dough:
3 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1 cup milk, warm (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface (I used one cup whole wheat pastry)
2 teaspoons salt

Brown Sugar Coating:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted

Icing:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar (try reducing to 2/3 or 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

1. Butter a Bundt pan (a non-stick pan works best) with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Use a pastry brush to really help get inside all of those nooks and crannies. Set aside.

2. In a large liquid measuring cup, mix together the milk, water, 2 Tbs. melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix the flour and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. If you think the dough is too wet (i.e. having a hard time forming a cohesive mass), add 2 tablespoons flour at a time and mix until the dough comes together (it should still be on the sticky side, just not overly wet). I had to add about an extra 2/3 cup flour because of my humid climate. Coat a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat lightly with the cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, 1-2 hours (alternately, you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees, turning it off once it reaches 200 degrees and place the covered bowl in the oven to speed up the rising time).

3. For the sugar coating, while the dough is rising, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place the melted butter in a second bowl or shallow pie plate. Set aside.

4. To form the bread, gently remove the dough from the bowl and press it into a rough 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 64 pieces. I found it easiest to divide the huge mass into 4 pieces, and then make 16 out of each 4th. See, you DO use math in the real world!!! I just got a bench scraper, BTW, and LOVE it!

5. Roll each dough piece into a ball (it doesn’t have to be perfect, just get it into a rough ball-shape). Working one at a time, dip the balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into the bowl or pie plate. Roll the dipped dough ball in the brown sugar mixture, then layer the balls in the Bundt pan, staggering the seams where the dough balls meet as you build layers. You may need a little extra sugar/cinnamon mixture.

6. Cover the Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and let the monkey bread rise until puffy and they have risen 1-2 inches from the top of the pan, 1-2 hours (again, you can use the warm oven approach to speed this up).

7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (remove the pan from the oven if you placed it there to rise). Unwrap the pan and bake until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with foil at the end if browning too quickly. Cool the monkey bread in the pan for 5 minutes (any longer and the bread will be too sticky and hard to remove!), then turn out on a platter or large plate and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

8. While rolls are cooling, prepare the caramel icing: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir until combined. Continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Whisk in the powdered sugar until nice and smooth. Pour most of the icing over the monkey bread.  Reserve some for dipping, if desired.

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Salted Caramel Squares

First, Happy Back to the Future Day!  Lol.  Ok, these delicious-looking bars were in the last Penzey's Spices catalog.  The recipe is online too.  This recipe comes from an Irishman, so I guess that makes it Irish!  My layers didn't come out as clean-looking as theirs, but these were still so delicious.  I actually made these for our Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration on October 12. We had some extra kids over and most of them seemed to enjoy these, too.  My kids loved these even through they contain coconut (I didn't tell them until they were all gone.... evil laugh).

You could use a can of Dulce de Leche if you have that on hand, instead of cooking the sweetened condensed milk.  I'd melt the butter and add everything into the DDL if you do that.  I still have some cans of Portuguese DDL I brought over from the Azores, but decided to not use it for this (it's harder to find DDL in Italy... I've only seen it in international stores.

Salted Caramel Squares

adapted from Penzey's

Base:
1 Cup self-rising flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup shredded coconut
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch salt

Caramel:
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 TB. Lyle’s golden syrup (use half honey, half corn syrup for a sub)
1 TB. butter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate:
16 oz. dark chocolate
1 tsp. butter
1/2- 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1.  Preheat oven to 360°. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, coconut, butter, cinnamon (if using) and salt. Mix well on low. Press onto an ungreased rectangular baking sheet (about 10x14; a 9x13 pan would also work), about 1/4-inch thick. Bake at 360° for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit, leaving the oven on.

2.  For the caramel, combine the milk, golden syrup and butter in a small heavy saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until big bubbles form and the mix is thickened and a light caramel color, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.  Pour and gently spread over the base. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Let cool.

3.  For the chocolate, melt the chocolate and butter using a double boiler or in a glass bowl placed over a pot of boiling water. Stir until melted. Pour and spread the chocolate over the cooled caramel. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set, about 2 hours. Cut and serve.  Tastes best at room temperature.

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Microwave Caramels

I made these quite a while ago but have not had a chance to put them up.  Before that, I had bookmarked this for quite some time as a fun project to try.  It worked very well, although there is a bit of babysitting.  But not as much as making caramels on the stove top, and they're done much, much faster!  They taste great, too.  I thought I had corn syrup on hand for these, but I didn't, so I used honey and it worked perfectly.

Microwave Caramels

adapted from Cooking Classy

1/2 cup unsalted butter (don't use salted; it will splatter)
1/2 cup light corn syrup or honey
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
fancy sea salt or fleur de sel (optional; I used grey salt from Brittany, France)

1.  Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Place butter in a large microwave safe bowl (do not use plastic, use glass or ceramic), heat in microwave until melted. (Keep in mind mixture will boil up; use a bowl big enough for this.)

2.  To bowl with butter, add corn syrup or honey, granulated sugar, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk and salt and whisk very well. Return to microwave and cook mixture on HIGH power for 6 to 7 minutes. (Original author recommends taking it out around 6 and testing either with a candy thermometer which should register between 238 - 242 degrees, or placing a small spoon of the caramel in a bowl of ice water then remove it from the water and it should have formed a small pliable ball - nothing too soft or too hard. If it needs a little more time return to microwave and heat in 20 second increments. Mine took a little bit past 7 minutes.)

3.  Using hot pads, carefully remove bowl from microwave. Add in vanilla extract and mix well. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top lightly with fancy sea salt or fleur de sel. Place in refrigerator until set, about 20 - 30 minutes. Cut into rectangular pieces and wrap in cut rectangles of wax paper.

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Christmas In Germany

We visited my parents in Germany for Christmas and New Year's.  It was nice to get away from life's daily stress and obligations here in Italy.  It snowed in Italy, in our town, while we were gone, but we got to enjoy some snow in Germany also.  The pic above is our the first snow we saw on our trip; driving through the Austrian Alps.  There was fresh snow, but the roads were nice and clear.  We pulled over and let the kids out for a 10-minute break to play in the snow.

My parents' Christmas tree with snow outside.

A German Christmas Market.

 My kids made this with my mom (their Oma).

 Our family made and wrapped our yearly caramels.

My mom made these German Cinnamon Stars with one of my sons.

Snow at my parents' house.  The kids played for hours in this, every day it was there.

We got Curry Wurst and fries on the way back to Italy, at another Bobby and Fritz at the gas station. :)

We saw skiing on the drive home to Italy; in the Austrian Alps.  We drove by this and they were skiing right next to the road.  

We had a great trip and relaxed the whole time.  We took naps and just lazed around.  We had New Year's there too, with a ton of food and some fun games.  I wasn't homesick at all while we were gone, but it did feel good to get back to our house after two weeks.  :)

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