Description
Delectable chocolate caramel shortbread bars blend rich flavors from traditional Scottish baking. Chocolate layers meld with buttery shortbread and silky caramel, creating a luxurious treat you cannot resist.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz baking caramel bits
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (454 g) butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, lightly spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cream butter, confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract using an electric mixer until smooth and well-blended.
- Gradually incorporate flour into the mixture, mixing until just combined. The dough will appear crumbly but should hold together when pressed.
- Press approximately 3/4 of the shortbread mixture firmly into the prepared baking dish, creating an even base layer.
- Bake the shortbread base for 25 minutes until edges turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- In a saucepan, melt caramel bits with heavy whipping cream over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and fully integrated.
- Pour the caramel sauce evenly across the cooled shortbread base, ensuring complete coverage to the edges.
- Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips uniformly over the caramel layer.
- Create small flattened discs from the remaining shortbread dough and delicately place them over the chocolate chips, allowing slight overlap.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the top shortbread layer turns a rich golden-brown color.
- Remove from oven and let the bars cool completely at room temperature before cutting into serving pieces.
Notes
- Ensure butter is truly at room temperature for smooth mixing and optimal texture.
- Keep shortbread mixture slightly crumbly but compact when pressing into pan to maintain delicate, traditional shortbread consistency.
- Use parchment paper overhang as handles for easy lifting and clean cutting of bars after cooling completely.
- Experiment with alternative chocolate types like milk or dark chocolate for personalized flavor variations.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 357
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg