salted caramel twix

April 3, 2013 // 6 Comments »

Salted Caramel Twix Bars layer buttery shortbread with with creamy salted caramel and silky smooth milk chocolate. The only downside to this recipe is that eating the original candy will never taste the same again.

If I had to pinpoint the one dessert that is repeatedly requested time and time again, it would have to be my homemade Salted Caramel Twix. They are quite the labor of love as there are three parts to the recipe: buttery shortbread, creamy salted caramel, and smooth milk chocolate. Luckily, however, only the first two take any effort as the third comes in the form of handy dandy candy melts.

As always, the key to an amazing end product is the quality of the individual ingredients. I always make sure to keep high quality vanilla on hand and am still completely obsessed with the delicate flavors of the Murray River Salt Flakes that I picked up at the Savory Spice Shop in Austin.

SALTED CARAMEL TWIX
 
Save Print
Yields: approximately 100 one-inch candies
INGREDIENTS
Shortbread
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
Caramel
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel (I prefer Murray River)
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Assembly
  • 2 12 ounce packages of milk chocolate candy melts
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • Extra fleur de sel for sprinkling
PREPARATION
Shortbread
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish by lining with two sheets of criss-crossing parchment paper, making sure to cover all sides up at least one inch.
  2. Beat together butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour and beat on medium speed until a soft dough is formed.
  3. Press dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Poke several holes in dough with a fork, covering the entire surface.
  4. Bake for 35-45 minutes until top is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Caramel
  1. Combine water, sugar and corn syrup in a deep saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until mixture is a fragrant golden brown, swirling occasionally.
  2. In a small saucepan, bring cream, butter and fleur de sel to a simmer while waiting for the sugar mixture to brown. Once simmering and butter melted, remove from heat and set aside.
  3. When sugar mixture is ready, turn off heat and slowly add cream mixture. Make sure that you use a deep saucepan for the sugar mixture and take caution as the sugar and cream combination will bubble violently at first.
  4. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and return the caramel to medium low heat. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 10 minutes until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Once desired temperature is reached, remove from heat and carefully pour caramel over your cooled shortbread. Do not scrape sides of saucepan, this caramel will be slightly overdone and can be discarded.
  6. Refrigerate until caramel is set, about two hours.
Assembly
  1. Cut shortbread into 1 inch squares or rectangles of desired size with a sharp knife. To prevent shortbread from crumbling, I found it easiest to cut with the caramel side down.
  2. Melt chocolate wafers in a microwave safe bowl, one package at a time, according to package directions. Stir in one teaspoon of canola oil per 12 ounce package to thin it out and give it a shiny appearance.
  3. One at a time, dip squares into chocolate. Pick up using a fork and tap on side of bowl to remove excess. Slide onto parchment paper and sprinkle with an additional pinch of fleur de sel.
  4. Once chocolate has set, candies should be stored in an airtight container or packaged for immediate gifting.

 

GADGETS
High Temperature Candy Thermometer
9×13-inch Cake Pan
Parchment Paper
A large 8-10″ Chefs Knife for Cutting Caramel

RESOURCES
Murray River Salt Flakes can be found online or at your local specialty food stores. I have found it at Williams Sonoma, Sur la Table and The Savory Spice Shop.

by Kimberly Ann // bake, candy
6 Comments »