SNICKERS SHORTBREAD BARS

SHORTBREAD BARS TOPPED WITH LAYERS OF SALTED PEANUT CARAMEL & CHOCOLATE GANACHE.

SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER | QUANTITY: 16-20

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LISTS

GROCERY LIST:

• 1 ½ sticks | Unsalted Butter

• ¾ cup | Heavy Whipping Cream

• 1 cup | Granulated Sugar

• 1 cup | All-purpose Flour

• ¼ cup | Cornstarch

• 1 cup | Unsalted Roasted Peanuts

• ¼ teaspoon | Kosher Salt

  1 teaspoon | Sea Salt Flakes

  • Brand recommendation - Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

• 12 ounces | Choice of Chocolate (milk, dark, bittersweet, semisweet, combination)

  • Brand recommendation - Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips

• 1 large | Lemon

KITCHENWARE:

• 8x8-inch Baking Dish

• Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer w/ Large Mixing Bowl

• Heat-resistant Bowl or Liquid Measuring Cup

• Measuring Spoons & Cups

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PREP

Helpful tips!

• Let butter come to room temperature by leaving out for about 1 hour*.

• Don’t get discouraged if the caramel doesn’t come together the first time. I’ve ruined my fair share of caramel sauces in the past. It’s important to be patient and really wait until it looks like a dark amber color but it can truly go from perfect to burnt in less than 5 seconds.

*Dependent on the temperature of your home

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BAKE

SALTED PEANUT CARAMEL SAUCE:

• 1 cup | Unsalted Roasted Peanuts

• ¾ cup | Granulated Sugar

• 1 tablespoon | Fresh Lemon Juice

• ¼ cup | Water

• ¼ cup | Heavy Whipping Cream

• 2 tablespoons | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

• 1 teaspoon | Sea Salt Flakes

SHORTBREAD:

• 1 ¼ sticks | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

• ¼ cup | Granulated Sugar

• 1 cup | All-purpose Flour

• ¼ cup | Cornstarch

• ¼ teaspoon | Kosher Salt

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

• 12 ounces | Chocolate

• ½ cup | Heavy Whipping Cream

1. Rough chop peanuts. These don’t need to be very small or uniform, just a rough chop to create a variety of sizes for texture. Set aside.

2. Whisk sugar, lemon juice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. You can occasionally stir or use a heat resistant food brush to ensure sugar around the edge doesn’t burn. Once mixture reaches a dark amber, remove from heat, about 10-15 minutes. Watch this part closely as it can burn in a second. This depends on your burner temperature and on cooler days it’s sometimes taken me closer to 18 minutes.

3. Immediately add cream and butter, whisking until completely incorporated and caramel is glossy. Add chopped peanuts and sea salt flakes, combine and let cool at room temperature.

4. Preheat oven to 350° F and place rack in the center of the oven.

5. Cut an 8x12-inch parchment paper rectangle and place inside baking dish so that two sides of the baking dish have parchment paper with an overhang. This will ensure an easy release! Set aside.

6. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add flour, cornstarch and salt and mix on low speed until dough forms.

7. Place shortbread dough into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly with your hands, making sure to get the dough in the corners. It will be about ¼-inch thick and take a few minutes to get uniform. Using a fork, prick the shortbread in a pattern. I made ten fork pricks vertically per row and six rows horizontally.

8. Bake shortbread for 15 minutes. Rotate baking dish to ensure an even bake and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until shortbread is a lightly browned and a toasty pale color. Cool the shortbread in the baking dish for 30 minutes.

9. While shortbread cools, place cooled peanut caramel in fridge so it can begin to harden, about 30 minutes.

10. Place chocolate in a heat resistant bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Using a small saucepan, heat cream over low heat until warmed and simmering. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, mix together with fork until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside and let cool at room temperature.

11. Once shortbread has cooled and peanut caramel has hardened, remove peanut caramel from fridge and mix together. It should be sticky but malleable. Pour over shortbread and use butterknife to gently spread evenly. Be careful not to push too hard or you might break the shortbread. Return to fridge for another 30 minutes.

12. After 30 minutes, remove from fridge and pour cooled chocolate ganache over peanut caramel layer and use butterknife to gently spread evenly. Return to fridge for at least 2 hours before cutting.

13. Serve immediately or store leftovers in wrapped plastic or airtight container in fridge.