These are not your average caramel shortbread bars... these are DOUBLE CHOCOLATE Caramel Shortbread Bars! You heard that right! The crust is a buttery chocolate chip shortbread with a silky smooth dark chocolate caramel layer, drizzled with milk chocolate and topped with sprinkles!

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL SHORTBREAD BARS

STEP 1). Make the shortbread base. Cream together butter, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until smooth, creamy and paste-like. Sift in flour and add chocolate chips and fold them through until combined.

STEP 2). Bake the base. Turn dough out into prepared pan and press it down evenly to form a flat layer. Use a piece of parchment or waxed paper on top of the crust to help smooth it out or run the back of a spoon over the surface. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

STEP 3). Chop the chocolate. First place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. Be sure to use dark chocolate with minimum 70% cocoa or the ganache will be too soft.

STEP 4). Make caramel. Place sugar in an even layer over the base of a 1 or 2-quart heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan. Make sure the pan you choose is at least 8-inches in diameter. Place the pan over medium-high heat and move the sugar slowly from side to side with a heat-resistant spatula or wooden spoon until it begins to melt. Once you see that it is liquifing into a syrup, continue to move it gently until it starts to turn golden, pushing sugar from the sides to the center and vise versa. Reduce heat slightly as it will colour quickly at this point and continue to cook while stirring until it all melts into a liquid and turns a dark amber colour.

STEP 5). Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter. Stir in cream until smooth. Stir in salt. If you can still feel undissolved caramel in the corners of the pan as you stir, place over low heat and stir until melted. Let it cool for 30 seconds before pouring the caramel over the chocolate in the bowl. Stir gently until completely smooth and glossy.

STEP 6). Pour the caramel over the still-warm baked cookie crust. Tilt the pan to coax it into the corners to form an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing and drizzle with melted milk chocolate before serving. Top with your favourite sprinkles!

EXPERT TIPS FOR MAKING CARAMEL SHORTBREAD BARS

Do not over-mix the cookie dough. Fold in the flour until just combined to ensure the most tender shortbread crust.

Try not to over-bake the shortbread crust. Bake until just lightly golden. If you over-bake until it is browned, then it may crumble more as you slice these bars.

Be patient with the caramel. Cook the sugar over medium to medium-high heat and stand by the stove moving it back and forth until it liquifies. It should turn a nice amber colour, but not dark brown or black - that would be completely burnt and you would need to start again.

Be careful when stirring in the cream as steam will evaporate quickly. You can wear an ovenmit to do this step to avoid burning your hand if you are concerned.

RECIPE FAQ

Can I use semisweet chocolate to make the caramel?

You absolutely need bittersweet chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids to make the caramel layer. The high cocoa solids and cocoa butter content is necessary to ensure that the caramel sets firm enough to slice. If you use a sweeter chocolate, the caramel will be too soft.

What if my chocolate caramel layer doesn't set?

If the chocolate caramel layer doesn't set, it likely means that you did not cook the sugar long enough until it was completely caramelized (i.e. it was too light and hadn't yet reached the amber colour), or your chocolate was not dark enough to have enough cocoa solids.

What if my sugar clumps when making caramel?

If the sugar clumps, you can rescue it by increasing the heat to melt it down. Pure sugar melts at a very high temperature, however you might risk burning the unclumped sugar around it if the heat is too high. Just keep stirring to promote even heating and do not get any water in the sugar until it is all completely liquified.

Can I freeze double chocolate caramel bars?

Yes! You absolutely can. First slice them up and then arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment or waxed paper. Place the tray in the freezer for about 2 hours until the individual bars are frozen, then transfer them to a resealable freezer bag to keep for 3 months. Freezing them individually first ensures that they do not stick.