Chocolate Caramel Bar Cookies

Raspberry Danish Murder

## Ingredients

**The Crust and Topping**

* 2 cups ***(4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)*** salted butter softened to room temperature
* 1 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 and ½ cups powdered ***(confectioners')*** sugar
* ¼ cup cocoa powder ***(I used Hershey's)***
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract ***(Tablespoon is not a misprint)***
* 3 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour ***(pack the flour down in the cup when you measure it)***

**The Caramel Filling**

* 12 and ¼-ounce ***(by weight)*** jar caramel ice cream topping ***(I used Smucker's)***
* ⅛ cup whipping cream
* 1 cup ***(6-ounce bag by weight)*** semi-sweet chocolate chips ***(I used Nestle)***
* ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons sea or Kosher salt ***(the coarse-ground kind)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 325°F, rack in the middle position
* Before you begin the make the crust and filling, spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can line the pan with heavy-duty foil and spray that. ***(Then you can lift the bar cookies right out of the pan when they have baked and cooled.)***

**Hannah's 1st Note: If your store doesn't carry jars of caramel ice cream topping, you can still make these bar cookies by using an 11-ounce bag of square Kraft caramels, counting out 35 pieces, unwrapping them, and adding a 6-ounce by weight bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Drizzle with ¼ cup whipping cream and heat in the microwave for one minute, followed by another minute standing time. Try to stir the mixture smooth and if you can't heat for another 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds standing time, and try again. Repeat heating and standing times until you can stir the mixture smooth.**

* Combine the softened butter, white sugar, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. ***(This crust is easier to make if you use the mixer.)***
* Beat at MEDIUM speed until the mixture is light and creamy.
* Add the vanilla extract. Mix it in until it is thoroughly combined.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments, ***(the last increment can be ¾ of a cup)***, beating at LOW speed after each addition. Beat until everything is thoroughly combined.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: When you've mixed in the flour, the resulting sweet chocolate dough will be soft. That's the way it's supposed to be.**

* Measure out one rounded cup of the sweet dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
* With impeccably clean hands, press the rest of the sweet dough into the bottom of your prepared cake pan. This will form a bottom crust. Press it all the way out to the edges of the pan, as evenly as you can, to cover the entire bottom.
* Bake your bottom crust at 325°F for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn a deeper brown color.
* While the crust is baking, open the jar of caramel ice cream topping, take off the metal lid, and place the open, lidless jar in the microwave. Heat the contents on HIGH for 20 seconds.
* Use pot holders to take the jar out of the microwave. Depending on the power of your microwave, it could be too hot to handle. Dump ***(yes, indeed. Dump is a recognized cooking term, at least in my house!*** the warm caramel topping in a microwave-safe bowl.

**Hannah's 3rd Note: when I bake these at home, I always use my quart Pyrex measuring cup.**

* Sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of the caramel ice cream topping and pour the whipping cream on top of that.
* Give the contents of your microwave-safe container a stir with a heat resistant rubber spatula.
* Listen for your stove timer. When your crust has browned a bit around the edges, remove the pan from the oven, but DON'T SHUT OFF THE OVEN!
* Set the pan with your baked crust on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack to cool. It should cool approximately 15 minutes, so set the oven timer for that length of time.
* After your crust has cooled approximately 15 minutes, place the microwave-safe bowl with the mixture of caramel topping, chocolate chips, and whipping cream in the microwave.
* Heat the caramel mixture for 1 minute at HIGH power. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for an additional minute and then try to stir the caramel, cream, and chocolate mixture smooth with the heat resistant spatula or a wooden spoon. If you cannot stir the mixture smooth, heat it for an additional 20 seconds at HIGH power, let it sit in the microwave for an equal length of time, and then try again. Repeat as often as necessary, alternating heating and standing times until you achieve a smooth mixture.
* Once your chocolate caramel mixture is melted, add the half-teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir until smooth. **DO NOT ADD THE SALT YET.**

**Hannah's 4th Note: At this point, I always want to dip a spoon into all that rich goodness and taste. Resist that urge. You'll be able to scrape out of the bowl after you've added the mixture to your baking pan.**

* Pour the chocolate caramel mixture over the baked crust as evenly as you can. Spread it out with the heat resistant spatula so that it reaches the very edges of the pan.
* ***Here comes the salt!*** Sprinkle the two teaspoons of sea salt or Kosher salt over the chocolate caramel layer in the pan.
* Take the remaining sweet dough out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. It has been refrigerated for 35 minutes or more and it should be thoroughly chilled.
* With your impeccably clean fingers, crumble the dough over the caramel layer as evenly as you can, leaving little spaces for that yummy chocolate caramel to peek through.
* Return the pan to the oven and bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 additional minutes, or until the caramel layer is bubbly and the crumble crust is golden brown.
* Take the pan out of the oven, turn off the oven, and place the pan on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack to cool. Resist the urge to cut just one Chocolate Caramel Bar Cookie to taste it. It will still be molten hot for at least another 25 minutes.
* When your Chocolate Caramel Bar Cookies are completely cool, cut them into brownie-size pieces, place them on a pretty platter, and serve them to your guests. I can practically guarantee that everyone will rave about them!