Chocolate Caramel Bars

I made these last week and they were a big hit. But be warned: they are more time-consuming than most recipes I post, so you should really, really want them. Also, I used chocolate graham cracker crumbs for my base, and they were a little crumbly. I wonder if a standard chocolate wafer cookie would hold together better.

Chocolate Caramel Bars
7 oz. chocolate cookies, crushed
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, melted
2 T. dried shredded coconut

1/2 C. (1 stick, again) butter
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 C. superfine or confectioners sugar
3 T. maple syrup
9 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
2 t. oil

First, grease a 9×13 baking dish, and line with waxed paper, then grease the paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the crushed cookies, melted butter and coconut. Press it into the baking dish and smooth down

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Next, combine the butter, sweetened condensed milk, sugar and syrup in a saucepan. Stir over low heat for up to 30 minutes until the mixture is smooth and begins to darken. It should be a light caramel color. Let cool for five minutes, then pour over cookie base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

Melt the chocolate using a double-boiler (that’s where you place a glass bowl over a pan of hot water on the stove so the chocolate isn’t in direct contact with the heat. Just be sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.) Add the oil and stir together. Pour over caramel and spread until smooth. You can go ahead and mark the chocolate for cutting with a knife once it starts to set up. Cut it into triangles.

Refrigerate until firm. Use the edges of the waxed paper to pull the bars out of the dish for cutting/serving. Makes 18 large or 24 medium sized triangles.

Enjoy!