Caramel Crumb Bars

This week begins my second round of grad school finals, which means I’m going to need a lot of snacks to keep me going! Here is a recipe I found a while ago but was waiting for the perfect moment and this is definitely it! This will also be shared tomorrow night at band practice with the Grupo Tepui-a Venezuelan band that my Venezuelan group is a part of and who performed this past weekend at JMU and did a great job! I hope they like them! (if not I will gladly eat them haha)

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Caramel Filling

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F with a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray, then line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment and spray again with cooking spray.

Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium speed until soft and light, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, add 2 1/4 cups of the flour, beating just until the dough is smooth and the flour has been absorbed, and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle as necessary.

Transfer 3/4 of the dough into the prepared baking pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan to form the bottom layer. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator while you make the filling and top layer.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour to the remaining dough in the mixer bowl and work it in with your fingertips until 1/8 – 1/4-inch crumbs form. Set aside.

Filling:

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally.

When the mixture begins to boil, whisk frequently until it begins to thicken and darkens in color slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator and pour the filling over the bottom crust. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly then distribute the crumb topping over the filling.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is gently bubbling and a dark caramel color.

Cool the bars in the pan on a wire rack until lukewarm, about 15-20 minutes.

Use the foil (or parchment) to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Once completely cool, cut into 2-inch squares.

SO soft and chewy!!

And here is a picture of my new sifter:

Thanks, Mom!

Recipe from Baked Perfection