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Posts Tagged ‘caramel’

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Posted in Bar Desserts, Cookies, Desserts, tagged , , , on August 5, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Last week I shared this salted caramel sauce, and mentioned that we used it to make brownie sundaes. What I didn’t share is the real reason I made the salted caramel sauce to begin with, which was to make these cookie bars. Oh my goodness these are good. Chocolate chip cookie bars are pretty amazing on their own, but throw in a layer of salted caramel and you have a dessert that’s on a whole other level. Slightly gooey, sweet, and sprinkled with fleur de sel, it’s hard to stop at just one of these, but your waistline will thank you if you do. :)

I brought part of my batch to share when we visited our friends for dinner, and then put the rest in the freezer (after I cut them into bars). That way, we could take one out to defrost on the counter for a few minutes when we needed a treat, rather than feeling like we needed to eat them all right away. I highly recommend that you bake some of these, and also highly recommend sharing them. Your friends and family will thank you!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. (10.6 oz.) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 cup packed (7 oz.) brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (3.5 oz.) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 6 tbsp. salted caramel sauce
  • Fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the lower third. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to allow you to remove the bars easily from the pan. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan, pressing it into and even layer in the bottom. Pour the caramel sauce over the top, leaving a little space around the edges. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the remaining dough over the caramel. Press down gently with your fingers to distribute. It’s ok if the caramel layer isn’t completely covered, as it will spread to cover as it bakes. Sprinkle the top with fleur de sel. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown and slightly firm to the touch. The bars will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan when they’re done.
  5. Remove the pan to a wire rack. Let the bars cool completely before lifting them out of the pan and cutting into squares to serve.

Source: Tracey’s Culinary Adventures; cookie dough from Baking Illustrated.

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Salted Caramel Sauce

Posted in Desserts, Sauces, tagged , , on July 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Salted caramel sauce has been on my list of things I wanted to make for quite a while. I just needed a good reason to make some. I know, I know, having salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator should be reason enough, shouldn’t it?

The caramel is delicious on top of ice cream, especially if you have homemade brownies to make brownie sundaes (which we did!). I’m looking forward to making another batch of this caramel sauce soon to enjoy with some homemade vanilla ice cream. It’s true, the sweet and salty combination is irresistible!

One year ago:  Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

Salted Caramel Sauce

Printable Recipe

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. fleur de sel
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

  1. Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium saucepan (I used my Dutch oven) and stir to combine. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture registers 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, cook until it is amber in color.)
  2. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream, being careful as the caramel will bubble up quite a bit. Stir in the fleur de sel and then the sour cream until the mixture is smooth. Let cool and then store in the refrigerator.

Source: Baked Explorations, via Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

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Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares

Posted in Bar Desserts, Cheesecake, Desserts, tagged , , , , , on October 16, 2010 | 5 Comments »

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares

As soon as I saw the picture of these cheesecake squares while doing my morning blog reading, I knew I had to make them. Cheesecake, caramel, and chocolate are a few of my very favorite things. Combined into one dessert, they are irresistible.

In case you aren’t familiar with it, dulce de leche is a milk caramel sauce made by slowly heating sweetened milk. If you can’t find it in your grocery store, you can make your own by slowly heating sweetened condensed milk until it is thick and light caramel colored. Or, you can use caramel sauce instead. Brad was able to find dulce de leche in our grocery store- it came in a small can (like sweetened condensed milk does) and was located near the Hispanic foods in the international foods aisle.

Each part of these cheesecake bars is perfect. The graham cracker crust is made even better because some of the dulce de leche soaks into it. The dulce de leche itself is sweet and caramely. The cheesecake layer is so delicious all on its own. Finally, the chocolate glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness, since it is made with bittersweet chocolate. I think these may be one of the best desserts I’ve ever made. Maybe that’s why Brad and I each ate one (sometimes two) every day until they were gone?

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Squares

Makes 36 small squares or 16 dessert-size pieces

For the Crust:

  • 3 1/2 ounces graham crackers, crushed (1 cup of crumbs)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling:

  • 12 ounces, or 1 cup, dulce de leche (or caramel)
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used bittersweet chocolate chips)
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
  1. Make the Crust: Position an oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Spray parchment with non-stick spray.
  2. Finely grind the graham crackers with the sugar in a food processor. With the motor running, add the butter, blending until combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
  3. Make the Filling: Spread the dulce de leche evenly over the graham crust. (Note: I had a really hard time spreading the dulce de leche without breaking up the graham crust. Next time, I might try slightly warming the dulce de leche in the microwave to make it spread more easily. I also suggest using a spatula sprayed with cooking spray to help spread the caramel into an even layer.) Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the cream cheese layer.
  4. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat on medium-high for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract.
  5. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the dulce de leche layer. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.
  6. Glaze the cake: Heat the chocolate, butter, and light corn syrup in a double boiler or in a microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cheesecake, coating evenly. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
  7. Lift the cheesecake from the pan using the parchment paper and slice into squares using a sharp knife, wiping it clean after each cut.

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

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Caramel Sauce

Posted in Desserts, Sauces, tagged on September 18, 2010 | 11 Comments »

Caramel Sauce

I almost didn’t try this recipe. I had planned to make a new type of ice cream, which included a caramel swirl. First, I thought I’d make my own caramel sauce. Then I thought, no, I’ll just buy some because that will be easier. Finally I decided to just go for it and I’m so glad I did. It ended up being a lot of fun to make homemade caramel sauce! (And it wasn’t very difficult, either.)

The caramel sauce has an almost butterscotch-like flavor and goes really well with vanilla ice cream. If you are going to try this recipe, I suggest having all of your ingredients and tools ready before you begin. Measure out the heavy cream ahead of time, and have a whisk and potholders ready. When the melted sugar turns deep amber and just begins to smoke, you have to work very quickly to remove it from the heat and whisk in the cream right away, or the caramel will burn (I didn’t have a whisk ready and almost burned mine).

Here are a few photos of the process. My sister, Karen, was visiting, so she assisted in making the caramel and taking pictures. It’s so much fun to have a baking partner!

The sugar is just beginning to liquefy and turn golden. It took about 15 minutes for the sugar to completely melt and turn deep amber.

Whisking in the cream.

The finished caramel sauce-yum!

Caramel Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Note: The sugar gets very hot as it liquefies. Wear an oven mitt while stirring in the cream, and be careful not to look too closely into the pot because it may bubble up some.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. In a large, deep, heavy-duty saucepan or Dutch oven, spread the sugar in an even layer. Cook the sugar over low to medium heat, watching it carefully. When it begins to liquefy and darken at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to very gently stir it to encourage even cooking.
  2. Tilt the pan and stir gently until all of the sugar is melted, and the caramel begins to smoke and turns a deep amber color. Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in half of the cream, which will steam and bubble up furiously. Carefully stir until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream and the salt and vanilla. If there are any bits of hardened sugar, whisk the sauce over low heat until smooth. Serve warm.

Storage: The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Rewarm it gently in the microwave or in a saucepan over very low heat. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it by adding a small amount of milk or cream.

Recipe from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

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