If you’re the type of person who wishes it was socially acceptable to drink caramel through a straw, this recipe is for you. (I am one of those people, too!) You should also sip my caramel latte while baking. This is an excellent way to use my small batch caramel sauce recipe. You will only need half of that recipe (or ½ cup) to make these caramel bars. Of course you can use a store-bought caramel, too, but please note that sauce is different from caramel ice cream topping (which is often too thin and watery).
Sugar. We will dissolve one cup of granulated sugar in ¼ cup of water to start the caramel sauce. Heavy Cream. We need ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream for this recipe. Butter. One tablespoon of butter. We stir in butter at the end of making caramel sauce because adding fat stops the cooking process. This prevents the caramel from continuing to darken and caramelize as it cools. Salt. This is a salted caramel sauce recipe, so we need 1 full teaspoon of fine sea salt. Additionally, I like to decorate these caramel bars with the Maldon brand of large-flake sea salt before serving. Vanilla. One teaspoon of vanilla extract to deepen the flavor of the homemade salted caramel sauce.
For the shortbread crust on the caramel bars, you will need:
Butter. We need 14 tablespoons of unsalted butter (softened) to make the shortbread portion of this recipe. We’ll use about three-quarters of the shortbread for the bottom crust, and then we’ll sprinkle the remaining one-quarter on top decoratively (see photos for reference). Powdered Sugar. I always use ½ cup of powdered sugar in shortbread crust to keep it light and flaky, but if you don’t have any, you could use an equal amount of granulated sugar. Flour. One and a half cups plus two tablespoons of flour to make the shortbread curst.
Now, make the shortbread crust: in a large bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, flour, and salt. Bring this mixture together using a pastry blender or two knives. It should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed in your hand.
