It is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure you all know what the club is about, but for the few of you who still don’t know about it, here goes a brief explanation. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in turn someone else will be assigned your blog. All you have to do is choose a recipe, make it and blog about it on the specified date. The only rule is to keep it a secret! If you are interested in learning more, or want to join the club, please visit the Secret recipe club website.
When I saw this month’s assignment I was super excited. The truth is I have been waiting to be paired with this site since I joined the club! Any idea of who I am talking about? I will give you a few hints: she is the queen of desserts, the chocolate expert and a lovely lady. She is beautiful inside and out and she is a very good blogger friend of mine… yesss, it’s Lizzy of That Skinny Chick Can Bake! I have known her since our days in Foodbuzz and I have always admired her talent. If you are among the few who still do not know her site, I urge you to go check it out immediately. I am sure you will love it! I immediately knew I wanted to try one of her amazing chocolate treats! Choosing only one was SO SO SO hard! I have bookmarked a few other recipes that I will definitely be making later on. For this reveal day though, I chose her Caramel Espresso Bars. The reason is simple: I love caramel, I am a chocoholic and, being Italian, I find anything with espresso way too hard to resist. And these bars were all I like in a dessert: chocolatey, gooey, sweet but not overly as the top layer is made with dark chocolate and espresso, which adds a tiny hint of bitterness! Amazing. You need to try them to understand what I mean… suffice it to say that I am salivating as I type this and my mum has already asked me to make a batch for her the next time that she and my dad will visit us!
Thank you so much for this (and all your) fantastic recipe/s Lizzy! Please, make sure you drop by Lizzy at That Skinny Chick Can Bake and check out her beautiful site!
Caramel Espresso Bars
Do you like caramel? And chocolate? Then these Caramel Espresso Bars should be on a must-eat list!
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 12 rectangles - (I used 250 gms Digestive cookies)
- 50 gms – ¼ cup sugar
- 170 gms – 1 ½ sticks 6 oz. butter, melted
Caramel Layer
- 120 ml – ½ cup heavy cream
- 115 gms – 1 stick 4 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 300 gms – 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Espresso Chocolate Ganache Layer
- 340 gms – 2 cups 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used 72% cocoa)
- 120 ml – ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder I used 1 shot of espresso
Instructions
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Line a 20 cm x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) pan with some baking paper, leaving some excess on two sides, so that you can get the bars out easily when ready.
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Put the graham crackers (or cookies) in a food processor and process until finely ground.
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Add the melted butter and sugar and blend until well combined.
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Spread the mixture into the bottom of the pan, pressing gently to form an even layer.
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Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 175ºC – 350ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Let it cool for about 15 minutes.
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While the base is cooling, put all the caramel ingredients in a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth.
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Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 115ºC – 240ºF (this will take about 5 to 7 minutes).
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Carefully pour the caramel over the warm crust and let it cool for 20 minutes.
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Combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second increments, stopping and stirring till the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the espresso powder (or espresso shot as I did).
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Remove the pan from the freezer, and if the caramel has solidified, pour the chocolate ganache over the caramel layer. If the caramel is still soft, put it back in the freezer until hard.
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Smooth the chocolate with a spatula and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or until the chocolate is firm).
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Remove the pan from the freezer and cut the bars using a sharp knife dipped in hot water and dried.
You had me at ‘caramel’, then you added ‘espresso’ and I was completely sold. Wow. These look delicious – and beautiful. I’m from Group A, but stepped in this week to rescue an orphan. It’s nice to meet some new bloggers.
Chocolate and caramel are one of my favorite combinations. Those bars look amazing!
Oh, Manu, you made my day with your kind words!!!! And I am thrilled to have you recreate one of my recipes today…so beautifully done (and an excellent choice :)). It’s been my pleasure to have you as a friend since almost the beginning. xo
As pretty as they are yummy ( I bet! )
Lucky you to get Liz! And, what a great choice. I do love the combo of dark chocolate, caramel and espresso. If you want another recipe kind of like this she’s got a mounds bar that is totally killer. Unfortunately, I’ve found that when you freeze them they don’t freeze solid so you can pull one out and take a bite…
Ahh, you did get an amazing blog – I would never be able to choose from all of Liz’s recipes but you sure chose well. These look unbelievably delicious!
You know, the first thing I did when I landed here was look at the photo. I immediately thought, ‘Wow, that looks just like Liz’s dessert.’ Then I started reading. And I smiled. Kudos to you for being able to choose a recipe. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. 🙂
I’m sorry I haven’t visited in so long, but thanks to Debra of Eliot’s Eats having your as her SRC person, I’ve reconnected and have you added to my bloglovin list. I’ll be a regular visitor again now.
Your bars look incredible! I love Lizzy’s blog and you made a great choice. YUM!
They look lovely, and your photography is especially beautiful this month.
OMGoodness these look incredible! Caramel & espresso – I totally need these in my life – perfect SRC recipe 🙂
Manuela always your pictures are amazing and I love Lzzy recipes !
And these bars look to die for:))))))
Mmmm…these bars look delicious. Love that layer of caramel that is oozing out a little.
These bars look delicious! Each single layer sounds amazing and even better when they are put together!
You can’t go wrong with anything on Lizzy’s blog! Or with yours for that matter. I almost shed a tear when I saw the digestives. My favorite biscuit when I lived in England…of course there isn’t to be had around here. The bars look gooey and divine!
You had me at caramel!
I think I’d like to be alone in a room with those bars… That caramel look serious.
Wow, that is a mega layer of chocolate on top! And I’ve just returned from the gym and a swim to be tempted by this!
Caramel Espresso Bars = soft, buttery squares with a pep! These look delicious. Perfect choice!
can’t pass up anything w/ espresso!
mmmm my favourite cake ever!!
Visiting from Group A (saw it on FB this morning). These look so good! I love chocolate and caramel together, but the coffee flavor would take it over the top. Can’t wait to try this.
These look absolutely breathtaking! And I want to eat them all right now! I am one of those rare people who aren’t familiar with Liz’s site…on my way right now!
OMG these look like heaven on a plate!
I adore Liz’s blog and what a great recipe to share. Love me some caramel too. Glad to have gotten your site this month. I still see a lot I want to make. 🙂
isn’t it amazing how we develop relationships with others through our blogging experiences?? so great 🙂
Happy SRC Reveal from a fellow group C member!
Just like Giada’s recipe…..very delicious!
I knew when I saw these that this was a Liz recipe! Gorgeous!
Now this is my kind of treat! They look wonderful Manu.Thanks for being a part of the YBR this month:)
Loved the Caramel Expresso Bars. Quick and easy but looks so exotic. Everyone loved them n got over in a jiffy! Thanks a ton.
Ur blog is AMAAA ZING! <3