Raising the Bar, part 2: Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars

My friend Nancy knows where to hit me where it counts. She knows that I can say no to just about any sweet - cookies, cakes, candy... not much holds sway over me. But mention "salted caramel" and I swoon. I am Superman to its kryptonite - there's no escaping its grasp. So when she placed a platter of these Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars directly in my path... well, let's just say a couple disappeared faster than a speeding bullet. So of course I had to share the recipe with you. If I'm going down in a blaze of salted caramel goodness, I'm taking y'all with me. Enjoy!

Salted Chocolate Caramel Bars (Adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
Contributed by Nancy Olivas

Crust

• 9 tablespoons butter at room temperature, plus more for parchment
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt

Topping

• 2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter parchment, excluding overhang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined. Press dough evenly into pan and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Make the chocolate caramel: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine, and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes.

Pour mixture over crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around edges; lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Trim edges, and cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days