The book is almost always better than the movie* and homemade treats beat store-bought 99 times out of 100, too. Don't try these recipes unless you are prepared to by-pass the purchased version because they no longer hold any appeal.
I found this recipe in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 28, 2009. The article was called "A Treat for Graduates" by Betty Rosbottom.
Caramel Chocolate Bars (Homemade Twix)
Makes 16
Crust:
6 Tablespoons softened butter, plus extra for greasing
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate and Caramel Layers:
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (do not substitue semisweet or milk chocolate and use absolutely the best chocolate you can find)
1/3 cup heavy cream
Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch baking pan, then line it with a sheet of aluminum foil cut 8 inches wide and long enough to extend 3 to 4 inches over 2 sides of the pan. Butter the foil.
In a mixing bowl cream butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, then beat in sugar and salt. Beat 1 to 2 minutes to blend well then beat in the flour. Gather dough into a ball and place in the middle of the pan. Press to form a smooth, even layer. Prick the dough with the tines of a fork. Bake until just starting to color lightly, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove pan, but retain oven temperature.
Place 1 Tablespoon each butter and brown sugar in a heavy, medium saucepan set over medium low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until the suga has dissolved, about a minute. Add milk and salt and, whisking constantly, bring mixture to a slight simmer. Cook, whisking constantly and never letting mixture come to a boil, until it thickens and becomes a light caramel color, about 10 minutes. As milk cooks, it will caramelize lightly on the bottom of the pan so you may see some flakes floating in the mixture. That's ok.
Pour caramel over pastry crust, smoothing into an even layer with a metal spatula or back of a knife. Return pan to oven and bake 10 minutes. It will bubble and look a litle scary, but just go with it. Remove and cool to room temperature.
Place chocolate and cream in a heavy medium saucepan set over medium low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes, then pour melted chocolate over cooled caramel layer and spread evenly with a metal spatula or table knife. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, 30 minutes or longer.
Run a sharp knife around inside edges of pan to loosen, then lift out pastry using the foil as an aid. Remove foil. Cut into 16 squares. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Bars are good either way.
(Bars can be made 2 days ahead; store in an airtght container at room temperature or in the fridge.)
*I used to say the book always was better than the movie until I tried to read Tom Clancy.
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My sister/girlfriend Terry Gravenmier introduced me to Cranberry Bliss Bars at Starbucks. They are amazing. I found this recipe on the internet (sorry, I don't have the URL), and as crazy as it may seem, I think the recipe is better than the original. And there is the added advantage of being able to have them any time I want instead of having to wait impatiently and obsessively for the brief period between Thanksgiving and New Years, which is the only time they are availabe at Starbucks.
Now a note about how I made these: I do not like having little bits of this and that left over so I made a few adjustments. In other words, I used the entire bag of dried cranberries, the whole package of white chocolate, and the entire little jar of crystallized ginger. I'll note these changes in the recipe. I also made the first batch with my grandkids. I'm afraid I can't account for the adjustments they made!
Cranberry Ecstasy Bars
Makes 16
Cake
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup minced dried cranberries (I chopped them in food processor.)
1-1/2 ounces white chocolate (Use a good quality white chocolate like Ghirardelli - I used half the package, which is 2 ounces)
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger (Again, I used the food processor to mince, and I used the entire jar. It was probably closer to 1/3 of a cup.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper and then grease the paper. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; continue mixing until light. Sift together flour, ground ginger and salt; add to the butter-sugar mixture. Continue mixing until flour is incorporated. Fold in dried cranerries, chocolate, and crystallized ginger. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely in pan.
Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese room temperature
3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
1/3 cup minced dried cranberries (I just used the rest of the package)
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt until well-mixed. Spread the frosting onto the top of the cake. Sprinkle minced dried cranberries on top of the frosting (I blended the cranberries into the frosting) and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Drizzle:
1 ounce white chocolate (I used the rest of the package - 2 ounces)
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate, whisk in powdered sugar and milk until well-mixed. Scrape into a small, sturdy plastic bag; cut a tiny corner of the bag and squeeze to drizzle chocolate decoratively over the entire frosted cake.
To serve, slice the cake lengthwise down the center, making two long rectangles. Cut each rectangle into four equal portions; slice each of these in half diagonally. These are delicious at any temperature, but I like them best right out of the freezer.
