BOGART LOVES: Candy Bars

I'm not someone who craves candy all that often. I certainly have a sweet tooth, but I tend to crave baked treats like cookies, cakes and brownies over skittles, nerds and m&ms. There are very important exceptions to this rule, however. Warm, buttered movie popcorn just isn't as delicious without its accompanying box of milk duds. For some reason, road trips just aren't the same without a cellophane bag full of squishy-sweet gummy bears from the gas station. Halloween is another one of those occasions where eating candy just feels right. For me, the end of October brings cravings of chocolate, more specifically, chocolate candy bars. This year, instead of buying the extra-large bag of the latest trick-or-treat favorite, I decided to make a batch of homemade candy bars. Buttery shortbread and salty caramel enrobed in deep, dark chocolate. Creamy, crunchy, rich and amazingly sweet. This is a candy that I could get used to eating all year long.

Salted Caramel Shortbread "Candy Bars"
Makes 12 bars

12 store-bought shortbread fingers
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt + more for sprinkling on finished bars
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
11 oz dark chocolate (60 - 70% cocoa)

Spray an 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray and then line the pan with a long sheet of parchment paper, leaving an overhang of paper over two opposite sides of the pan. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

For the caramel:

In a large sauce pot, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Over medium-high heat bring to a boil just until the mixture turns golden.

Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream and butter in a small sauce pot and warm over medium-low heat. When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn the heat off and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is golden, slowly add the warmed cream and butter, being careful as the mixture will bubble. Gently stir the mixture and decrease heat to medium-low. Cook the sugar until the temperature reads 248 degrees on a candy thermometer (firm ball stage).

When the caramel is to temperature, remove it from the heat and stir in the teaspoon of sea salt and the vanilla. Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared 8-inch square pan. Wait approximately 5 minutes and then place the cookies, top side down, on top of the caramel, leaving a bit of space between each cookie. Let the pan sit at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.

Once the caramel has chilled, using the parchment paper, lift the caramel and cookies out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Carefully cut the caramel around each cookie. Place the cookies on the parchment lined baking sheet, caramel layer down, and set aside.

For the chocolate coating:

To form a double boiler, place a large heat-proof glass bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Be sure to make sure that water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl and that the bowl fits tightly over the pot. Place 6 oz of the chocolate in the bowl and stir until the chocolate starts to melt. Once the chocolate is almost fully melted, turn off the heat and continue to stir until it fully melts. Remove the bowl from the pot and add in the remaining 5 oz of chocolate. Stir the chocolate until all of it has melted. (This process will temper the chocolate and ensure that it hardens around the caramel and cookie).

Place a bar on a fork and dunk it into the tempered chocolate. Once the cookie is fully covered, lift the cookie out and run the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove the excess, dripping chocolate. Carefully, set the bar back onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Immediately, sprinkle the wet chocolate with sea salt. Continue until all bars are finished.

Allow candy bars to cool at room temperature until chocolate hardens. Trim excess chocolate from around the bars and enjoy.