This recipe was the inspiration from a Twitter friend, Barbara (aka VinoLuci) and her recipe and gorgeous photo left me with the absolute need to make this myself. I used store bought caramel dip (the kind you find in the produce section near the apples) after reading that hers didn’t firm up as much as she’d hoped. So I took a shortcut. And it actually paid off and came out perfect. These are like homemade Twix bars, but the cookie is a bit softer. I used Australian Flake Sea Salt. The key is to top the melted chocolate at just the right time when it’s still sticky enough to hold the salt but not too warm to melt it. I think I did it, first try!

The shortbread:
2 sticks softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups flour

Mix until crumbly. Press into 9×13 pan and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until the top is just lightly browned. Then cool for about 10 minutes and spread the purchased caramel on top, refrigerate for about 20 minutes. I melted chocolate chips in the microwave for about 2 minutes and spread over the caramel layer. I put the pan in the refrigerator just long enough to do two things: chill enough to sprinkle the salt and to cut the bars before the toppings harden to create a nice clean cut and avoid a break and separation of layers.

The flavor combination with the salt is a craving well satisfied. Thanks, Barbara!