These scrumptious bars may be a little labour intense but worth it. With a sweet pastry dough base, a layer of toasted macadamia nuts on top and then those layers smothered with a rich golden caramel, you have made yourself no less, what is not to like.
Just follow the steps and savour these sweet bites.
First pulse 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup icing sugar and 1/4 tsp salt for a few seconds. Now add in 10 tablespoons cold butter cut Into chunks and pulse in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pulsed flour and butter mixture. Now add in 1 tablespoon cold water, sprinkle over mixture and pulse until a dough forms.
Dough ready to be pressed into pan.
Scatter dough on bottom of foil lined, greased, 9 x 9-inch pan and pat down.
Dough all patted and ready to bake until golden in a 350F oven.
Once baked sprinkle 2 cups of toasted Macadamia nuts or nut of your choice over top and set aside.
Caramel step 1: Put 1 1/4 cups sugar and 2/3 cup water into a medium heavy saucepan. Cook stirring over a medium heat until sugar dissolves. Then turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Let boil without stirring until mixture starts to turn golden around the edges. Swirl the pan, gently, to have the colour evenly distributed.
Caramel step 2: Remove from heat and whisk in 1/2 cup room temperature whipping cream and 4 tablespoons soft butter. Whisk until smooth.
Hint for next step: Watch carefully for colour change and temperature change.
Caramel step 3 :Clip on a candy thermometer and return the mixture back to the heat until it reaches 240F. Remove from heat, CAREFULLY, and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt.
Pour caramel all over mixture and let chill in fridge to set for a couple of hours and cut into squares.
Never tried making a nut bar before but this looks great!
Cool! That’s a clever way of lonokig at it!