CHOCOLATE: Gooey Caramel CHOCOLATE bars

oh yummy caramel!
 So I have this book… Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor.  The name says it all, its jam packed with the most delicious gooey yummy, make you drool desserts.  And its an adorable book to just look at.  One of my favorites are her GOOEY CARAMEL BUTTER BARS.  Now in NO way are these good for you, but are they worth those few extra holiday pounds? oh YES!
The Recipe:
makes about 15 large bars or 30 small
Now of course knowing me I had to tweak a few things…
it was imperative that I add (dark) chocolate…I thought it gave these bars that extra dose of delish!
Ingredients for the crust:
1 Pound butter (4 sticks)
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
For the filling:
 
1 bag of caramels, or a bunch of tiny bags (at least 50 caramels in all)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup walnuts
Powdered sugar and dark chocolate for dusting.
to make the crust:
combine butter and sugars, beat together until creamy.  Add vanilla and salt, then sift in the flour until it forms a soft dough
grease a 9×13 pan press about 1/3 to 1/2 of the dough to the bottom of the pan.  Pat the remaining dough into a flat disc and refrigerate for about 30 min or until firm
Preheat oven to 325 and put the crust in for about 20 min or once you see the sides a golden brown.  Let cool
Place the caramels in a bowl for the microwave or in a double broiler on the stove.  Add in the Cream and vanilla and salt and melt until smooth.
Pour the caramel onto the crust, then sprinkle on the pecans and walnuts.  Take the remaining dough, break it up into small pieces and crumble it on top of the caramel and nuts.  Return it to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumble is golden (about 30 min)

The dark chocolate I added before I sprinkled on the powdered sugar.  I melted it in a double broiler added a little bit of olive oil to make it easier to drip.  And then I went to town covering those sweet bars with my all time favorite treat.

once they have cooled dust on powdered sugar…then EAT!

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