the shortbread part of this recipe is not nearly enough... In my so ever humble opinion,it needs to be doubled, at the least...It barely covered the bottom of the 9x13 pan And when cooked, the shortbread is wafer-like...
Caramel Pretzel Bars
Buttery shortbread meets gooey caramel meets salty pretzels in this cookie bar, the winner in our December 2011 Home Cook Challenge recipe contest. Creator Joanne Choi (whose blog is A Week of Menus) says she developed the recipe in the course of looking for a sweet-salty cookie that would still be safe for those with nut allergies; we love it because the caramel calls for sugar, honey, and maple syrup, creating a multifaceted sweetness that pairs beautifully with the pretzel's salt.
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Credit: MacKenzie Smith
Ingredients
FOR THE SHORTBREAD:1¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
FOR THE CARAMEL TOPPING:
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1¼ cups light brown sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp. salt
1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
1. Make the shortbread: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper, folding paper up and over the sides of the pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla, change speed to low, and add the flour-salt mixture. Mix until crumbly, 10-15 seconds. Pat the dough evenly into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan, and prick dough all over with a fork. Bake 15-18 minutes, until just golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.2. Make the caramel: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and salt. Stir regularly until mixture is foamy and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer inserted into the caramel registers 240°F (soft ball stage), about 11 minutes. Add the crushed pretzels and quickly incorporate into the caramel.
3. Pour the pretzel-caramel mixture over the baked shortbread, spreading the mixture evenly. Return to the oven until the topping is bubbling, 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Remove from the baking pan by lifting the edges of the parchment paper; unfold the paper and slice into bars. Serve immediately, or bars will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
Ratings & Reviews (5)
Made these for a get-together and they were gobbled up fast. So yummy. I like the almond version, too, but my daughter can't have them b/c of nut allergies. Thanks for the recipes!
I, like bobberqer thought shortbread not enough....maybe add 1/2 more in volume to shortbread recipe....caramel was delicious...also, maybe could use a wee bit more finishing salt at the end.
Irresistible! My friends and I can hardly stop eating these. Perfect salty sweet combo with the crunchy but chewy texture. The shortbread amount it seems the right amount to me, more would make it too bready since you already have the pretzel layer.
These were fabulous. I did try 1.5 times the shortbread, and it was too much. I'll revert to the original recipe next time. I omitted the honey and used double maple syrup. I think that delayed the caramel reaching 240, but it got there eventually. I'm wondering about adding some spice like chipotle...
Caramel Pretzel Bars
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