Tuesdays with Dorie: Caramel Crunch Bars
February 24, 2009 at 2:51 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 60 Comments
We have another yummy cookie for TWD this week. Whitney of What’s Left on the Table? had me putting caramel crunch bars on my table, and trust me, nothing’s left!
This cookie does have a lot of crunch. It’s a brown sugar shortbread, flavored with a little cinnamon and espresso powder and a lot of chopped chocolate. On top there’s melted dark chocolate and a generous sprinkle of toffee bits. I have never bought Heath Toffee Bits before, and was completely amused by the package. Not only does it say “Bits o’ Brickle,” which is enormously funny to me, but it also says “finest quality English toffee” in one spot and then “artificially flavored” in another. Hmmm…
In the book, Dorie suggests using these for ice cream sandwiches. I had a little homemade fresh mint ice cream, so I decided to give it a try. I topped the bars that I was using for the sandwiches with cocoa nibs instead of toffee (these I scattered sparingly, because they are kinda bitter). Tasty? Yes, but also a little hard to eat. I thought the bars were a little too crunchy for ice cream sandwiches. They were difficult to bite into frozen…I think I prefer a softer, more yielding cookie for that purpose. The caramel crunch bars are sweet enough and rich enough on their own, that I preferred them just as they were. Well, with a cup of herbal tea, that is.
For the recipe, read What’s Left on the Table? or see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll.
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a whisk and a spoon 
These look fabulous, I must give them a try. I miss my TWD weeks, I need to get baking again!
Comment by Chelle— February 24, 2009 #
wow these look amazing. I m trying to bite them :)) I think I would prefer these without ice cream too. they look so delicious the way they are 🙂
Comment by snooky doodle— February 24, 2009 #
oh these look totally d’lish! love choc and crunchy bars!
Comment by Meeta— February 24, 2009 #
The bars sure are a winner with me…
Comment by rachel— February 24, 2009 #
Really gorgeous!! Love your photos.
Comment by Susan— February 24, 2009 #
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who had trouble with the ice cream sandwiches! Mine were delicious but very crisp. I ended up using a dark chocolate on the top and they still were all gobbled up. If I had used milk chocolate I don’t think they would have lasted until the next day!
Yours look PERFECT!
Comment by Amanda— February 24, 2009 #
Yours look great. I think mine were undercooked. Too buttery for me.
Comment by Peggy— February 24, 2009 #
I’M OBSSED WITH CARAMEL!!
Comment by VeggieGirl— February 24, 2009 #
Your photos are gorgeous!
Comment by Nancy— February 24, 2009 #
These look just lovely. Glad you enjoyed them!
Comment by Jules— February 24, 2009 #
Your cookies look fantastic!
Comment by Kimberly— February 24, 2009 #
These look gorgeous!
Comment by Janna from Honeyed Hashette— February 24, 2009 #
gorgeous! thanks for the ice cream sandwich tip. 🙂
Comment by Natalie— February 24, 2009 #
Mmm, your bars turned out spectacularly! Wish I could have one right now! YUM.
Comment by Elyse— February 24, 2009 #
I had the same issue — mine were a little too crunchy for ice cream sandwiches. So I put some caramel ice cream on top of one caramel crunch bar, drizzled it with hot fudge, and ate it with my hands. Delicious.
Comment by Amy— February 24, 2009 #
Wonderful photos, as usual! I’m thinking of adding dulce de leche to these next time, and now you have me thinking of cocoa nibs . . . .
Comment by Madam Chow— February 24, 2009 #
I am obsessed with toffee treats, the bars look divine!
Comment by Maria— February 24, 2009 #
The bars look absolutely perfect! I love bars that have a lil crunch in them, and these definitely look up my alley 🙂
Comment by ovenhaven— February 24, 2009 #
Wow! Those look like they cut a lot easier than mine, esier for you to make larger portions anyways…
In my case, a chainsaw wouldn’t have been of use! LOL
Amazing picture, Steph! Love the crumbs… (lol)
Comment by Vibi— February 24, 2009 #
I’m all about the nibs – that sounds so very good.
Comment by rainbowbrown— February 24, 2009 #
Gorgeous bars.
We just loved these.
Comment by chocolatechic— February 24, 2009 #
These look fantastic. Great photo.
Comment by teaandscones— February 24, 2009 #
Hahah the finest artifically flavored toffee in the WORLD! Your bars are gorgeous!
Comment by Teanna— February 24, 2009 #
Great photos – I loved these so much!
Comment by Amy (Sing for your supper)— February 24, 2009 #
Your caramel crunch bars look amazing. I agree they were a little hard to eat with ice cream, but were still utterly delicious.
Comment by pinkstripes— February 24, 2009 #
Terrific photo. The mint sounds so refreshing. I’ll have to try it.
Comment by Lauren— February 24, 2009 #
Gorgeous pictures as always!
Comment by Melissa— February 24, 2009 #
Oh, what a lovely photo. They look good enough to eat!
Comment by Lillian— February 24, 2009 #
Steph, are you Dorie in disguise? your bars look just like the ones in the book! How do you do it!?
Comment by Tammy— February 24, 2009 #
comme d’habitude, tes photos mettent en valeur les recettes de Dorie ! très beau 🙂
Comment by isabelle— February 24, 2009 #
OOH, they look amazing…great job! I agree about the frozen part…the guys liked them just as they are!
Comment by Kayte— February 24, 2009 #
I like how your made yours more of a longer rectangle than the others’ I just saw. They look delicious, but like you said..maybe hard to eat?
Comment by Pennies on a Platter— February 24, 2009 #
Yours look so nice and thick – that’s the way I think they should be!
Comment by Megan— February 24, 2009 #
Cocoa nibs would be great on these. The cookies are sweet enough to offset the bitterness of the nibs. Beautiful looking results!
Comment by Carol Peterman— February 24, 2009 #
those look quite simply….amazing!!!
Comment by Jen— February 24, 2009 #
Great picture of your bars. I ate mine with ice cream.
Comment by Michelle— February 24, 2009 #
i found these got even better as each day passed. i ate one tonight and thought of throwing out the rest so i didn’t eat the whole pan. 🙂 i also like your rectangle bar shape. yeah, finest quality and artificial flavor together on the same package… hmmm.
Comment by Karen— February 24, 2009 #
Wonderful photos! These very very, very good, and yours look delicious!
Comment by Farah— February 24, 2009 #
Don’t you just love these cookies. I couldn’t stop eating them.
Comment by Sharon— February 24, 2009 #
Yours look just like Dorie’s, well done!
Comment by Spike.— February 24, 2009 #
Amazing!!!
Comment by NAOmni— February 24, 2009 #
I thought the sandwiches were a bit difficult to eat, but they sure were tasty. I sprinkled some cocoa nibs too. I’ll bet mint ice cream would be good with these – and your cookies look great!
Comment by Holly— February 24, 2009 #
Nibs sounds like a great topping–I’ll have to give that a try. And I haven’t tried these with tea yet–sounds great.
Comment by Di— February 24, 2009 #
So tasty looking!!! I like the cocoa nib idea — I thought the bars were a bit too sweet, so I must try this the next time…would assume that it cuts down on the sweetness.
Comment by Linda— February 24, 2009 #
Amazing photo! Glad you enjoyed the bars 🙂
Comment by Tracey— February 24, 2009 #
Your rendition looks fabulous as always! I’m always stunned at the things people suggest using for ice cream sandwiches. Things that when you bite into the sandwich, the ice cream completely smushes out… HELLO?
😀
Comment by howtoeatacupcake— February 24, 2009 #
Your bars look delicious. Pefect cut! I couldn’t get mine to do that. I have to say that I paired mine crushed up in semi-frozen whipped cream and they were delicious. I agree that they would be too hard fully frozen as a bar.
Comment by Leanne— February 25, 2009 #
These look great! What a pretty picture!
Comment by Erin— February 25, 2009 #
These look extremely extremely good!!!
Comment by Ashley— February 25, 2009 #
these look great! I just got Dorie’s book this week and this might have to be the first recipe I try 🙂
Comment by Renee— February 25, 2009 #
Your bars look great!
Comment by Stephanie— February 25, 2009 #
Your bars look wonderful! I found them too hard for the ice cream sandwiches too. Last thing I need is a trip to the dentist. 😉
Comment by Susan at Sticky,Gooey,Creamy,Chewy— February 26, 2009 #
they look perfect! i agree, they were a little too crunchy even at room temperature to be my ideal ice cream sandwich cookie. but they sure were delicious:)
Comment by kim— February 26, 2009 #
Beautiful! I am going to have to try these with ice cream and cocoa nibs.
Comment by Karen— February 26, 2009 #
They look lovely, I am wishing I had some left. Too bad I gave up sweets for Lent… UGH! I am dying already… 🙂
Comment by Carolyn— February 26, 2009 #
Nice job! Yours turned out great. Perhaps a dish of ice cream with it would be better than the sandwich idea. Great photo!!
Comment by Shari— February 26, 2009 #
these look perfect and so yummy!!! wow, i’d love to try one with some homemade fresh mint ice cram — sounds divine!
Comment by mimi— February 27, 2009 #
Cacao nibs should be used more – they’re absolutely fantastic. After making these, I can see how making them into ice cream sandwiches would be difficult. They really are incredibly crunchy. Beautiful job!
Comment by Caitlin— February 28, 2009 #
Those look so amazing. I love the cruncy texture.
Comment by Tracy— March 2, 2009 #
They look so yum. My daughter and I would like to reach through the screen and grab one!
Comment by Lori— March 12, 2009 #