Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Rum and Butter Bars!

I’m making salted rum and butter caramels in my kitchen, as I do every year for Christmas and half way through cooking my thermometer broke. Oh No! I estimated best I could and when hardening the caramels in the refrigerator, they did not set up quite as firmly as I would have liked. The caramel though still soft, tasted amazing, I actually had to put it out of my eyesight.

I decided I’d try to make a bar type cookie out of it; absolutely not going to waste something this decadent. So I made a chocolate shortbread crust and while it was still warm I placed the rum and butter caramel over top. I then made a simple chocolate ganache for the topping and Oh My! Taste Bud Heaven. Needless to say it was the best mishap I had happen in the kitchen in a long time.

How to make these delicious morsels:

For The Salted Rum caramel:

• 1- 14 oz can of condensed milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp Good quality Rum extract I used Watkins ( You can use vanilla if you don’t like rum)
• 1/2 cup butter cut into cubes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Method:

Spray and like an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. In a sauce pan combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Over Med-high heat bring to a boil and continute to boil stirring every now and then until it turns into a nice amber color.

Remove from heat, add butter and milk, stir well. Return to stove and heat to 230 over medium – lo heat. Stirring constantly. Remove from heat and carefully add salt and Rum. Pour into lined 8×8 pan and let cool.

Note: If you want to make individual caramels continue to heat this mixture until it reaches 240 cool and cut into 1′ pieces & wrap in wax paper.

To make the bottom crust:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup of good quality cocoa powder like Frys

Instructions:

Combine softened butter with sugar until combined, add vanilla. Sift Flour and cocoa add to the butter mixture. Press into a greased 8×8 pan. Line with parchment paper for easy removal. Pat down dough into dish and place in refrigerator for about 1/2 an hour.

Bake at 375 for 10 – 12 mins.

Remove from oven. Allow bottom to cool slightly and carefully place salted rum caramel over top. They are both in the same size pan so it works quite well, you may need a knife to help scrape bottom from the parchment.

How to make Chocolate Ganache:

Over a double boiler melt 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips with 1/4 cup of butter. When completely melted pour over salted rum butter later. Let cool until you can score the top and them cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy!