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Chocolate caramel slice (also known as caramel slice) is a rich, layered dessert made with a buttery shortbread crust, a thick, gooey caramel filling, and a smooth chocolate topping. It is buttery, rich, and chewy, making it a favorite dessert bar. A gourmet homemade Twix candy bar!
It’s DAY #5 of Modern Honey’s 12 Days of Cookie Christmas. We are keeping with the chocolate caramel theme and bringing you an out-of-this-world Chocolate Caramel Bar.
A “slice” is a decadent dessert popular in Australia. It’s basically a slice of heaven. Am I right?
This Chocolate Caramel Slice is made up of three layers — a shortbread crust, caramel, and chocolate ganache. The buttery shortbread is made up of a few simple ingredients — butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, flour, and cornstarch baked until lightly golden brown. It has such a pronounced rich buttery flavor in a cookie crust. It is the perfect base for handcrafted caramel and silky chocolate.
The homemade caramel is super simple to make and is made up of sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, dark corn syrup, and vanilla. I am going to break down how to make a perfect caramel.
The chocolate glaze is a smooth ganache made up of chocolate and heavy cream. I am amazed at the beauty of ganache in desserts. This Chocolate Caramel Slice can be made with semisweet chocolate or milk chocolate, depending on taste. I used both just because I love the contrast of color and flavor.
If you love Twix candy bars, you will go crazy over this Homemade Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Candy Bar. If you want to make a copycat Twix Candy Bar version, drizzle milk chocolate ganache all over the top.
I used a rectangle fluted tart pan with a removable bottom to make these bars. I prefer to use pans with removable bottoms since these tarts can be slightly fragile.
You can also use a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan to make these bars.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- Flour – Provides structure for the shortbread base
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a slight caramel flavor
- Cornstarch – Helps create a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture
- Salted butter – Adds richness and flavor; cold butter helps create a crumbly crust
- Cold water – Helps bring the dough together
- Egg yolk – Adds richness and helps bind the crust
Caramel:
- Sweetened condensed milk – The base of the caramel, creates a creamy, thick texture
- Brown sugar – Deepens the caramel flavor
- Salted butter – Adds richness and helps create smooth caramel
- Dark corn syrup – Helps prevent crystallization and keeps caramel smooth
- Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and flavor
Tip: Stir constantly while cooking the caramel to prevent burning.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Semisweet or milk chocolate – Use high-quality chocolate for best flavor
- Heavy cream – Creates a smooth, glossy ganache
- Flaked sea salt – Optional but highly recommended to balance sweetness
You can layer both semisweet and milk chocolate for a more complex flavor.
How to make Chocolate Caramel Slice Bars:
- Bake the crust until light golden brown. This helps to bring out the rich buttery flavor. Bake for 18-22 minutes until you start to see some color on the crust.
- To make the homemade caramel: cook sweetened condensed milk, sugar, butter, dark corn syrup, and vanilla in the medium saucepan over medium heat. It is helpful to use a candy thermometer to know when the caramel is done. Bring to a gentle boil and watch for the thermometer to reach 225 degrees. It is imperative to whisk constantly to evenly distribute the heat. Once the caramel is done, pour it over crust.
- Melt the chocolate and cream in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals until smooth. Spread chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Let chill for at least 1 hour.
Popular Dessert Bar Recipes:
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Chocolate Caramel Slice
Equipment
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar tightly packed
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Salted Butter cut into cubes
- 1-2 Tablespoons Cold Water
- 1 Egg Yolk
- Caramel Topping:
- 1 – 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 6 Tablespoons 3/4 stick Salted Butter, cut into cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Chocolate Ganache: **
- 1 cup Semisweet or Milk Chocolate chopped
- 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
- **may do double layers — one layer of semisweet chocolate and one layer of milk chocolate.
- Flaked Sea Salt to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- To make crust:
- Preheat to 350 degrees.
- Butter or spray 12 x 8 or 14 x 4 rectangle fluted tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. May use 8 x 8 baking pan.
- Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Add butter and cut into mixture until coarse crumbs forms. May use a food processor. Stir in water, starting with 1 Tablespoon and add more as needed, up to 2 Tablespoons. Add egg yolk and mix until it begins to come together.
- Press dough on the bottom of the pan. Pierce bottom with a fork. Bake until lightly golden brown — 18-22 minutes.
- To make caramel: whisk sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, dark corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to side of a pan. Bring to a gentle boil and keep cooking (8-10 minutes) or until caramel is pale golden and thick and temperature registers 225 degrees. Whisk constantly.
- Once the caramel is thick, pour evenly over crust. Let set for 15 minutes.
- To make chocolate ganache: melt chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-30 second increments until melted and smooth.
- Pour chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Cut into slices.
- Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts Cookbook
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
DAY #1 — Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies
DAY #2 — Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cookies
DAY #3 — Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
DAY #4 — Caramel Filled Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Christmas Bucket List — list of ideas and traditions to help feel the Christmas Spirit
Happy Baking, my friends! xo
These bars are very rich! Love the hint of salt and sweet. I found that my caramel sauce did not look anything like the pictures until after it chilled. I’ve not made caramel sauce before so I kept wondering if it was going to be okay because it didn’t look the same. I would make again and think it will be easier the next time. If found a small packet of sea salt flakes at a spice store much less expensive than a larger jar.
What kind of flour?
Can you use chocolate chips for melting?