Salt plus caramel is one of the greatest-of-all-time flavor combinations. Or maybe you’re into chocolate and almond, in which case, I’ve got just the thing to satisfy all possible cravings: Salted Caramel Chocolate Almond Bars.
The cookie base for these bars is buttery, nutty (thanks to a dollop of almond butter in the dough), and sturdy enough to hold up all the fabulous toppings), with a consistency on the softer side of shortbread but not as chewy as a Tollhouse.
The abundant pile of toppings is almost as thick as the base itself. The chubby chunks of premium dark chocolate melt and sink into the dough as the bars bake, alongside shards of crunchy chopped almonds. After the bars cool, they get a drizzle of homemade caramel and a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
The caramel is a variation on my standard Caramel Sauce, made slightly thicker for drizzling on these bars. You might recognize this sauce as a component of my Caramel Budino; it’s also great on many different kinds of ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate cake, brownies, pumpkin desserts (such as this Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Tart) and pretty much anything else that’s not nailed down.
I baked these bars in an oblong tart pan (4 x 13½ inches) – I like this shape because it means that every bar is an edge piece. If you don’t have a pan this shape you could use an 8-inch round tart pan or springform pan and cut the bars into wedges. An 8-inch square baking pan would also do – it will have a larger surface area, producing slightly thinner bars, so check for doneness a few minutes earlier than specified in the recipe.
Making Salted Caramel Chocolate Almond Bars ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- The caramel sauce keeps for weeks in the fridge, and must be made at least far enough ahead to cool to drizzling consistency. Once chilled it will thicken; warm it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time, stirring in between, to bring it to room temperature before drizzling it over the bars.
- The bars will keep for 3 or 4 days, well-wrapped at room temperature, and also freeze well. Wrap tightly and try to use them within a month of freezing.
These bars are adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for Parisian Cookie Cake (NY Times), which she adapted from Francois Perret.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Almond Bars
Use a 4x13½-inch oblong tart pan, an 8- or 9-inch round tart pan or springform pan, or an 8-inch square baking pan for baking these bars. The size and shape of the pan you use will affect the number of servings and also the baking time. Check early for doneness if using one of the larger pan sizes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably European-style), at room temperature, divided
- 2 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup, or light corn syrup
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 3/8 teaspoon of Morton’s), divided
- 1 1/3 cups (5½ ounces/160 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup roasted, unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
- Flaky sea salt such as Maldon or Fleur de sel
Directions
- Step 1 Make the caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup of the brown sugar with the heavy cream, 3 tablespoons of the butter, the Lyle’s syrup, and ¼ teaspoon of salt if using Diamond Crystal (1/8 teaspoon if using Morton’s). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture comes to a full boil, reduce the heat to medium and boil for 1 minute without stirring. Transfer the sauce to bowl and set it aside to cool completely.
- Step 2 Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you’re using a pan without removable sides, line your pan with a sheet of parchment that’s wider than the pan so it forms handles out the sides of the pan for removing the bars.
- Step 3 In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining ½ teaspoon (or ¼ of Morton’s) salt. Stir with a whisk to combine.
- Step 4 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter with the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar and the granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the almond butter and beat until well-combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and stir on low speed just until the flour is mixed in, stopping the mixer and using a spatula to stir in the last bits of flour.
- Step 5 Transfer the dough to the baking pan. Moisten your fingers lightly with water and use your damp fingers to press the dough out into an even layer. The dough will be stiff. Scatter the chopped chocolate and almonds evenly over the top of the dough.
- Step 6 Bake the bars for 22 to 25 minutes, a little less if you’ve used a larger pan. The bars are done when a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Step 7 Remove the pan to a cooling rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan before removing the sides, or using the parchment handles to remove the entire block of bars to a cutting board. Stir the cooled caramel, then check the consistency by lifting the spoon and letting some of the caramel run back into the bowl. You want it to drizzle off the spoon in thick but fluid ribbons. If it’s too thick, heat the sauce in the microwave for a few seconds, then stir and test again. Don’t heat it so much that it gets thin – you want nice thick splashes of caramel across the top of the bars. When the sauce is at the right consistency, drizzle it across the top of the bars, in a crisscross pattern or however you like. (You may not use all of the caramel. Save the remainder for another use.) Sprinkle the bars with flaky sea salt. Cut into square or rectangular pieces or wedges, depending on the shape of your pan.
