HOMEMADE CANDY BARS WITH CHUNKS OF COOKIES AND CARAMELS

Homemade Candy Bars with Chunks of Cookies and Caramels image

Provided by Damaris Phillips

Time 1h50m

Yield 6 to 8 servings, plus leftovers

Number Of Ingredients 8

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Two 10-ounce bags dark chocolate chips
10 speculoos cookies, broken into pieces
1/2 cup Sorghum Caramel, recipe follows, at room temperature
Generous pinch coarse sea salt (enough to sprinkle over whole bar)
2 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
1 cup sorghum syrup, such as Bourbon Barrel Foods Pure Cane Sorghum (see Cook's Note)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. Line the back of a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Put the chocolate chips in a stainless steel bowl and place in the oven. Heat the chips until they hold their shape but melt when you touch them, 8 to 12 minutes. You want the chocolate to melt without getting hot or it will be ruined. Stir until smooth and shiny.
Pour the melted chocolate out onto the prepared cookie sheet. Spread evenly into an 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. Sprinkle with the cookies and drizzle the Sorghum Caramel over the top. Sprinkle with salt. Gently pick up the pan and drop it on the counter a couple of times. This will help the ingredients settle into themselves. Leave the bar to cool at room temperature, about 1 hour. Break into irregular 3-inch pieces.
Fill a glass with ice water and set aside.
Combine the sugar, sorghum and butter in a saucepan and heat over medium until the butter melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, bring to a simmer and cook about 1 minute. Lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until a soft ball forms when the caramel is dropped in the glass of ice water or the temperature reads 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.