Tempting Tuesday : Heavenly Shortbread Bars

Happy Tuesday, Poodle dears!

These babies are one of my guilty pleasures! They take a little bit of time, but it is oh so worth it! These little beauties are perfect if I need to take a dessert someplace that requires something fancier than cookies. They're beautiful, they're elegant, and they taste as good as they look! Because seriously, who doesn't like fresh-baked shortbread, homemade caramel filling, and three kinds of chocolate all in one pan!? Mmmm!

Without further ado, I give you.....

-------------------

Heavenly Shortbread Bars
(makes approx. 24 bars)

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 1/4 c. : All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 c. : Sugar
• 3/4 c. : Unsalted Butter, softened

Filling

• 7 T. : Unsalted Butter, diced
• 1/2 c. : Brown Sugar
• 2 (14 oz.) cans : Sweetened Condensed Milk (like Eagle Brand)

Topping

• 3 1/2 oz. : Semisweet Chocolate
• 3 1/2 oz. : Milk Chocolate
• 2 oz. : White Chocolate

Directions

1. Preaheat the oven to 350°. Line and lightly grease a 9x13 Jelly Roll Pan. Set aside.
2. Put the flour and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Continue working the mixture with your hands until the mixture forms a dough.
3. Put the dough into the prepared pan and press it out with your hand to cover the base.
4. Use the back of a tablespoon to smooth it evenly into the pan. Prick all over with a fork for ventilation.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and very light brown. Set aside and leave in the pan to cool.
6. To make the filling, put the butter, brown sugar, and condensed milk into a pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
7. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.
8. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture very gently, stirring constantly, for about 5-10 minutes, or until it has thickened and turned a caramel color.
9. Watch the mixture carefully to assure that it does not scorch (burn) on the bottom of the pan.
10. Remove from the heat and pour mixture over the cookie base.
11. Spread caramel evenly, and set aside until cooled.
12. To make the topping, melt each type of chocolate separately in a microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water.
13. Spoon lines of plain and milk chocolate over the set caramel filling.
14. Add small spoonfuls of white chocoalte on top of first chocolate layer.
15. Use a bamboo skewer or butter knife to swirl chocolates together and create a marbled effect.
16. Allow chocolate to cool and set, approximately 30 minutes at room temperature, or 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
17. Cut into 1" x 3" bars and enjoy!

Helpful Hints

• A 9x13 Jelly Roll Pan is the same size as a 9x13 casserole/cake pan, but it's much more shallow.
• I line my pans with parchment paper on top of crisco to make it stick. Wax paper will work in a pinch.
• Make sure, when you're pressing the crust into the pan, that you poke plenty of holes in it with a fork before you put it in to bake. Shorbread forms air bubbles very easily. Not so pretty!
• The shortbread crust doesn't ever get very "golden." As long as it feels set up and firm to the touch, it's safe to pull it out.
• When the recipe tells you (over and over!) to "stir constantly," they mean it. The milk in the filling will scorch very very easily and it will ruin the flavor. My Mom swears I could do the filling in the microwave to avoid the scorch factor, but I'm a traditionalist and I like to follow the recipe. (If you try it in the microwave, let me know how it goes!) :)
• The filling, when warm, will get to the consistency of runny pudding. It should leave a thick coating on the spoon when it's ready to pull off the heat. It sets up quite a bit as it cools.
• I don't work with chocolate fast enough to melt all 3 at once. I melt one flavor at a time, layer it over the caramel, and then melt the next flavor. Less gray hair-inducing moments.
• When the recipe tells you to "spoon lines" of chocolate over the caramel filling, they mean wide lines. I usually make mine between 1" and 2", alternating milk and semi-sweet.
• Three ounces of chocolate isn't that much, so be sparing.
• I've found you have to work fairly quickly with the chocolates or they'll start setting up on you and they get hard to marble together.
• Once you've added your spoonfuls of white chocolate on top, use your skewer/knife to swirl them together. Be sure to keep your skewer only in the chocolate mixture, if you go to deep you'll mix the caramel in there too.
• Obviously, as with any recipe, the final product is only as good as your ingredients. If you're going for a true show stopper then I would suggest you spring for the good chocolate...Ghirardelli makes all three flavors and they are all amazingly yummy!
• These bars are way rich, and they taste the best when you cut them small. Besides, if they're small you can have two....or twelve....instead of just one.

Disclaimer: you must have these with a cup of coffee. Seriously. Even if you don't like coffee, make an exception, brew a cup of the good stuff and enjoy! Heavenly!

Enjoy this impressive little dessert! If you make them, let me know how they turned out (and email me for my mailing address...I'll need to try samples!)

Snorgs,