'Twix' Dessert Bars

I haven't posted a recipe on here for a while, which is weird because I've been finding some great ones on Pinterest that we've really liked.

I'm sure I'll get around to them, but I HAD HAD HAD to share this one with you all.

These are seriously ah-maz-ing!!!!

I actually first pinned this recipe almost 2 years ago, and just never got around to making it.

I am so glad I finally did though because now that I know how awesome it is, it will be whipped up MANY times in the future. I can't believe how much these actually taste like a Twix bar.

Sooooo good people.

This recipe is perfect to have on hand to use it at all of your upcoming holiday festivities.

It's also one that you can make ahead, and stores really well.

These only lasted a couple of days at our house before they were gone, and they were still just as yummy as the first day we made them.

You do want to give yourself some time to make these because you have to let it cool after each layer.

Or you could swirl the melted caramel layer and melted chocolate layer together...dang it, now I need to make these again and see how awesome THAT would be...

For now though, let's see what we need to whip up these beauties...

Ingredients

1 c. unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 bag caramel squares (these are the ones bagged that they sell this time of the year by the apples. The ones you have to individually unwrap and people melt down and use to make caramel apples with. I hope that makes sense. I think the bag I used was 1 lb).

3 Tbsp heavy cream

6 oz. chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300.

Line a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper. (You can spray the pan with cooking spray, but this was the first time I used parchment paper for something like this, and it worked beautifully! I was able to just lift the whole thing out of the pan when it was finished which made it easier to cut and less mess to clean up).

The first thing you want to do is make the dough for the shortbread layer on the bottom. (This part you kind of want to make in advance).

In a mixing bowl, beat together the 1 c. butter, 1 c. powdered sugar, and 2 tsp. vanilla for about 30 seconds. Add the 2 c. flour and mix it all together really well.

Take the dough and press it evenly into the cake pan. Poke the dough all over with a fork. (This will help prevent it from bubbling up).

Bake the crust until it's a golden-brown color. Mine took about 35 minutes.

Once it's finished, remove it from the oven and let it completely cool. (If you used cooking spray, run a knife around the edges of the pan to keep the crust from sticking).

For the caramel layer, place unwrapped caramels and 3 Tbsp. heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until it completely melts, then pour it over the cooled shortbread layer and let that cool and harden.

For the chocolate, pour chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 sec intervals, stirring after each time, until it's completely melted.

Pour and spread the chocolate over the caramel layer, and let cool and harden.

(I put it in the fridge for a bit to help hurry the process along).

 If you used the parchment paper, grab the sides and lift the whole thing out and cut into bars. (Something I have learned since making these multiple times now is, when you are ready to cut these into bars, make sure they are room temperature for better cutting. If they are still cold from being refrigerated and you try to cut them the chocolate will just crack and it won't hold together as well).

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!!

 For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour