Twix Cookie Bars

Ingredients

CRUST:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter room temperature
• 1 cup (4.5 ounces) powdered sugar
• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CARAMEL LAYER:

• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream divided
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE LAYER:

• 1 ¼ cups (8 ounces) milk or dark chocolate see note
• ⅓ to ½ cup (3.5 ounces) heavy whipping cream see note

Instructions

For Crust Layer:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9×13” pan with tin foil, spray bottom and sides, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, flour, and vanilla and mix with a pastry blender or fork until is very crumbly and sticks together when pressed your hands. With your hands, press the crust gently into the prepared pan. 
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

For Caramel Layer:

1. While crust is cooking, combine in a medium saucepan over low heat the butter, salt, corn syrup, sugar, and ½ cup of the cream. Warm the ingredients slowly until the butter is melted (about 10 minutes). Gently stir to combine, being careful not to stir too vigorously and splash the liquid on the sides of the pan. The low heat will help the ingredients melt evenly so the butter does not separate.
2. Once the caramel ingredients have warmed and melted, increase the heat to medium-low. The caramel should maintain a simmer, but not be so hot that it is burning on the bottom. Keep cooking at a simmer WITHOUT STIRRING for about 20-30 minutes until temperature reaches 235 degrees F (see note about elevation adjustments). 
3. Pour in the remaining ½ cup of cream. Gently swirl the caramel with a wooden spoon once or twice. Then let it simmer WITHOUT STIRRING or adjusting the temperature for 10-15 minutes until the temperature returns to 235 degrees F (see note about elevation adjustments).
4. Take the caramel off the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla. Then pour over the cooled crust (it’s okay if it’s not cooled completely) and quickly smooth it until it’s evenly distributed. Let the caramel layer cool for 45 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator before adding the chocolate layer.

For Chocolate Layer:

1. Add the chocolate chips and cream to a microwavable bowl (or alternately you can use a double boiler to melt). Microwave them in two or three 30-second intervals, stirring well in between just until the chocolate starts to melt. Be careful not to over melt it or it will seize (meaning it will get hard and then never melt again), especially milk chocolate.
2. Pour chocolate layer over set caramel layer and smooth it until it’s evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until the cookie bars are set completely. Carefully remove the tin foil and cut into four rows of eight bars for 32 bars total. 
3. These cookie bars can be eaten immediately, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, or frozen for a couple of months. For best results, let come to room temperature before serving so caramel is soft.

Recipe Notes

1. The kind of chocolate to use depends on your preference. I usually use a good brand of chocolate chips. I think I slightly prefer milk chocolate in this recipe, but I also really like the Ghirardelli brand of dark chocolate chips.

2. The perfect amount of cream to add to the chocolate layer is right between ⅓ and ½ cup, which is why I gave the weighted measurement. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, just measure a bit less than a half of a cup and you should be right on.