Shelly's Recipe

CHOCOLATE WALNUT CARAMEL SQUARES

Category: Bars

For Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Filling:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup light corn syrup
21/2 cups chopped walnuts
2 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350. To Prepare crust: Combine flour, 1/2 cup butter and 3 Tbsp. sugar in a food processor or medium bowl. Pulse or mix with a pastry blender until dough resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of a foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand 2 minutes, then spread chocolate over crust.

To Prepare filling: Place 1 1/3 cups sugar in a large heavy saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and caramel colored, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 cup butter, cream and corn syrup. Mixture will bubble up and clump together. Simmer over medium-low heat stirring frequently until mixture is smooth and reaches 234 to 240 degrees (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in walnuts. Immediately pour over crust. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm. Use foil to lift out of pan; transfer to cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.

Note: To test for soft ball stage without a thermometer, drop a small amount of sugar mixture into a dish of very cold water. If sugar has reached soft ball stage, it will form a soft ball that can be flattened and picked up out of the water.