Caramel Slice Recipe

I've been meaning to share this wonderful chocolate caramel slice recipe with you for several weeks.  A young Australian friend of mine made this treat for her mother and I when we were planning to enjoy a "girls day out."

Of course, for all of my American friends, you would probably refer to this delicious dessert as Chocolate Caramel Bars or even Chocolate Caramel Squares.

In Australia, a dessert or sweet that is cut up into squares or bars is almost always referred to as a "slice."  For example, if I was invited to a BBQ and asked what I could bring along, I might be asked to bring a slice (lemon slice, vanilla slice, caramel slice, etc). 

Can you believe Don and I have been here for 18 years already???  I can hardly believe it myself! :)

Nevertheless, time has flown and I've made some wonderful friends in this part of the world. 

One of my dearest friends is Kate, and I suppose I've known her for about 14 years now.  We live about an hour apart, but we make it a point to get together at least once a month whenever  possible.

Yes, I'm getting to the caramel slice recipe, but I have to tell you how I came to taste test this Aussie creation. 

For my last birthday, Kate planned a "girls day out" for the two of us and we headed down to Cairns for some shopping and pampering (pedicures to be exact!). 

Our first stop when we got to town was at Macca's (McDonald's) for a cup of coffee to give us a jump start. 

Once we'd ordered and got a table outside, Kate pulled out a special treat she had brought along from her daughter.

Emily is a lovely young lady and a real treasure.  As a teenager, she enjoys helping out in the kitchen, particularly making desserts. 

Knowing it was my birthday celebration, she sent along a sample of her latest creation - a couple of nice big pieces of chocolate caramel slice!  Yum! Yum! Yum!

It was a perfect pairing with our coffees and made for a very pleasant morning tea to start out our day.  Yes, I know.  We do call it "morning tea" even if no tea is involved.  It's a British and Aussie thing.

Of course, after enjoying that mouthwatering morsel, I knew I had to get the recipe from Emily for myself as well as to share it with you.   She was happy to send the recipe along to me and now I'm finally getting around to passing it on. 

I hope you enjoy these chocolate caramel bars (aka chocolate caramel slice) as much as I did.   Let me know what you think once you've given them a try.

Easy Caramel Slice Recipe

Ingredients needed for each layer of this caramel slice recipe are as follows...

    Base Layer:

• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut (or crushed nuts)
  
• 1/2 cup of melted butter (125 grams)
  

     Caramel Layer:

• 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
  
• 1/2 cup of golden syrup or corn syrup
• 80 grams of butter (about 6 tablespoons), chopped

     Chocolate Top Layer:

• 125 grams (about 5 ounces) of dark chocolate (melts, chips, pieces) 
• 90 grams of butter (about 7 tablespoons), chopped

Even though the ingredient list might make you feel that this caramel slice recipe is "involved" it really isn't terribly challenging, so don't let the layers scare you off.  Let's get started!

1. Start by preparing your pan.  I like to simply butter my pan, but you can also line it with greaseproof paper if you prefer.  Probably the best size pan to use is a rectangular 11 x 7 or 28cm x 18cm, but if you want your chocolate caramel bars slightly thicker you can use a square pan.  You'll also want to preheat the oven to 350 F. or 180 C.
   
   
2. In a large bowl sift together your flour, cinnamon, and cocoa.  Then stir in your sugar and coconut, and finally pour over the melted butter and combine thoroughly.  Press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until it looks nice and golden.
   
   Side note: I'm not really a fan of coconut (as you may remember), but you really can't taste it much in this recipe.  If you absolutely don't want to use coconut, you can substitute it with ground almonds or even ground oats. 
   
   
3. To make the caramel layer, you'll need a medium saucepan to combine your sweetened condensed milk, syrup, and butter over low heat.  Stir often until fully melted and smooth.  Once the base is ready, remove it from the oven, pour the caramel mixture evenly over the top and return the pan to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes until the caramel layer is golden brown.   Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
   
   
4. Finally, you're ready to make your chocolate topping.  If you have a double boiler you can use that, or a bowl on top of a pot with water simmering in it.  You just combine the chocolate and butter and melt until nice and smooth and then pour it over the cooled caramel and pop the whole thing in the fridge to set. 
   
   Hint: I like to cover with cling wrap until it is chilled, but if you are planning to keep your chocolate caramel bars in the fridge for a while before serving, it's best to remove them from the pan once they are set and put them in an airtight container so they don't absorb any smells or flavors from the fridge. 
   
   
5. Once you've cut your caramel slice into squares, you can let them come to room temperature before serving.  To be honest, when I'm ready for a slice, I can't always wait around for it to come to room temp.  I think it is just as yum cold.  ;)

Well, I hope you like Emily's Caramel Slice Recipe as much as I did.  I have to tell you I'm absolutely watering at the mouth typing this up for you and if it weren't nearly 11 pm I'd be tempted to go make a batch right this minute!  I think I may have all the ingredients on hand which makes it even harder - ugh!

Whether you end up calling this recipe chocolate caramel bars, chocolate caramel squares, or chocolate caramel slice like we do, I look forward to hearing how yours turn out.  Feel free to send along some photos to show them off too!

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