COOKIE TURNED CANDY BAR!

When does a cookie become candy? I made these "Millionaire Shortbreads" for a festive St. Patrick's Day party our friends, Steve and Debby Vis were throwing. I wanted to bring an Irish dessert so when I Googled Irish desserts this one popped up. I am not sure what is Irish about it, but according to what I read they are mad for these cookies in Ireland. I have been traveling to Ireland annually for nearly 30 years and have never seen these cookies or heard of them, but the recipe sounded delicious so I decided to give them a go! They do taste more like a candy bar and the combination of sweet and salty is very satisfying.

DECADENT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

As you can see I have changed the name!

Ingredients:
SHORTBREAD LAYER:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

CARAMEL LAYER:
2 (11 oz.) packages caramel squares*
1/2 cup heavy cream

CHOCOLATE LAYER:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli.)

Flaky sea salt for garnish (I used Maldon salt.)

*Of course you can make your own caramel, but using these candies sure did make this recipe fast and easy.

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 13 x 9" pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. I was out of parchment so used waxed paper and it worked fine.

Make shortbread layer: Cream softened butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour and vanilla until a bread crumb texture forms. Press mixture into the prepared pan and prick all over with a fork. Take care when pricking as the shortbread is very crumbly. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a rack. Once cooled, invert pan, give a small tap on bottom to release the shortbread. Remove the parchment or waxed paper. Flip the shortbread over and place on a large cutting board to finish the cookies.

Make caramel layer: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir the caramels and cream together until melted, about 10 minutes. Pour over shortbread crust. The most difficult part of this step is removing the caramels from their cellophane wrappers.

Make chocolate layer: Melt the chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals and stir until smooth and shiny. Pour over caramel layer.

Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up. Remove from fridge. Score the bars marking the cuts you will eventually make and top with the flaky sea salt. This step is important as the bars are still pliable. Return to the fridge for another 10 minutes. Remove and cut completely through. Place on a serving tray and return to the refrigerator until 15 minutes before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. These cookies freeze well, too.

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!

TUNE IN AGAIN FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF:

My big brother, Skip, and his beautiful
wife, Esther were just here for a visit.
We did lots of fun cooking and eating!
Loved having them here in sunny Airzona!

www.cookwithcindy.com