Graduate School Bars

Another week is here, which means I made another dessert for the Tuesday night get-together.

I have to admit, I made this the day before, on Monday. It was partially because the kids and I were looking for something to do on Monday, since we had already danced for an hour and read some books and making these bars seemed like the perfect activity, but it was also because just 10 minutes prior, I had received some of the best news ever: I think I got into graduate school! Woo!

The reason I think I got into graduate school is because I received an email from the program director asking me if I would be willing to do my MBA after my diplomacy and commerce masters if I won the fellowship for which I have been nominated me. The email did not say I had been accepted, nor have I received an acceptance letter, but I am pretty sure that, if the director of the program emails you to ask if you would be willing to do some courses out of the traditional order so that you could accept a fellowship if you won it, it means you are in, right?

These bars are known as Millionaire's Shortbread and come from Baked in NYC (www.bakednyc.com). Many thanks to my friend, Kathy, for checking out Baked's cookbook from the Lexington library for me so I could drool over the beautiful pictures and actually make the delicious treats.

Essentially, these bars are a homemade twix bar. They are pretty much nothing but sugar, flour, butter, and chocolate, but if you're gonna go for dessert, you just need to throw caution to the wind and try these. Crisp shortbread/cookie foundation, chewy and sweet caramel middle, and thin (but completely satisfying) dark chocolate top. Yum.

The kids enjoyed playing with shortbread dough and pounding it into the 9x13 pan, as well as watching the sweetened condensed milk turn colors and become thick like caramel.

Warning: these are rich and this recipe makes an entire 9x13 pan. Make sure you have lots of friends nearby to help you eat them.

Twix Bars/Baked's Millionaire's Shortbread

SHORTBREAD:

1/2 c sugar

1 1/4 c butter, softened

2 1/2 c AP flour, divided

1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

CARAMEL:

28 oz sweetened condensed milk

CHOCOLATE:

6oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (60% cocoa)

1 t light corn syrup

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened, cut in cubes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the sugar and butter together until blended.

Add 2 cups of flour and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat for a few second, or until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently work the dough into a 6x6 inch square. Turn dough and sprinkle the tip with flour as you go. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c flour on the surface of dough. Fold dough over and knead until incorporated, then flatten the dough into a rectangle.

Transfer rectangle to prepared pan and press into pan.

Prick dough with fork all over and bake in the center of the oven for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Put sweetened condensed milk in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook on 50% for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Cook on 30% for 12 to 18 minutes, until very thick and caramel colored, stirring briskly every 2 minutes, until smooth.

Pour caramel filling over cooled shortbread and place the pan in the refrigerator until cool, about two hours.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled caramel layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

Put in fridge for one hour, until the glaze hardens.

Remove pan from fridge 30 minutes before serving so as not to crack the chocolate glaze. Cut into squares and serve.

The bars can be stored in fridge, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.