These buttery bars are the specialty of the Aloha Angel Café on Hawaii’s Big Island. Created by baker Cathy Haber, they have it all: a buttery, crunchy, nutty crust, caramel and rich chocolate. We like them chilled.
Course: Dessert
Author: Relish
Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
1cupfirmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2cupcold buttercut into pieces
1cupchopped macadamia nutstoasted
Caramel and Chocolate:
3/4cupbutter
1/2cupfirmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2cupssemisweet or bittersweet chocolate morsels
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.
To prepare the crust, combine flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process about 10 seconds to combine thoroughly. Add butter and process until mixture is crumbly, about 30 seconds. Transfer crumbs to prepared pan and press firmly to make a compact layer. Scatter nuts evenly over crust and press them in firmly.
To prepare the caramel layer, melt butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir well until thoroughly combined and smooth. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until entire surface of caramel is bubbly. Immediately pour hot caramel over nuts and spread evenly with back of a metal spoon. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until caramel is bubbly.
Remove pan from oven. Wait 1 minute; sprinkle chocolate morsels evenly over caramel. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes for chocolate to melt. Spread chocolate evenly with spatula or back of a metal spoon. Cool completely, then refrigerate 30 minutes to set. Cut into bars with a sharp knife.