Last month I participated in Bakin’ Friends. This month I put on my baking pants again to make these Chocolate Crunch Bars with Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
Pictures Updated August 2015
I had never made caramel from scratch. And to be honest it took me a couple of attempts. The first time it was too runny. The second time the consistency was great but the flavor was not what I was looking for. Luckily third times the charm!
The shortbread on these bars are like my Twix Bars but I decided to use brown sugar this time. The mix of semi-melted chocolate chips with the toffee crunch and let’s not forget the caramel make these bars decadent! Since caramel is John’s favorite I knew adding a splash of bourbon would just give it just one more layer of flavor. The best part is you can serve them warm and a la mode or cold right from the fridge with a huge glass of milk.
Chocolate Crunch Bars with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
- *Shortbread
- 1 stick butter cut into small pieces
- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- *Bourbon Caramel
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Bourbon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all shortbread ingredients in food processor and pulse a few times until you get a crumb like mixture.
- Line 8 x 8 pan with foil (this helps you pull the bars out easily at the end). Butter the bottom and sides of foil/pan. Pour shortbread mixture into pan and press down to form a layer on the bottom. Bake for 12 minutes. Let shortbread cool for about 15 minutes.
- Add chocolate chips and toffee bits to form another layer on top of shortbread crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a towel in the fridge.
- While cooling, make the caramel. Mix brown sugar, cream and butter over medium low heat. While cooking whisk gently for 5-7 minutes or until thick. Add in vanilla and whiskey. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off heat and cool completely.
- Drizzle caramel on bars. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve warm for a softer gooey bar with ice cream or cold for more of a hard crunch bar.
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