When you think of a chocolate caramel slice, do you think of a fancy coffee shop? Of pastries on display under a glass case that look so decadent they almost put you off? The truth is, recreating one of those coffee shop “slices” is tricky. Not from a difficulty point of view, but from a more practical one. Have you ever been able to finish one of those buttery, densely chocolaty, stickily caramelly desserts? So what would you do with an entire loaf of one? How many cups of coffee would you need to offset all that indulgence?
This recipe is one you'll have absolutely no trouble polishing off or sharing with your colleagues or friends. Instead of a buttery shortbread base, this slice has saltines — sounds crazy, but it totally works — covered with homemade caramel. But don’t worry, the caramel has just three ingredients, and there’s no candy thermometer required. And instead of the top chocolate layer being so dense and buttery it might as well be a truffle, this version is covered with chocolate chips and flaky sea salt. The result is absolutely addicting and will have friends and family asking you to make it for months to come.
Chocolate caramel slice
6
5 minutes
15 minutes
20 minutes
1 sleeve salted saltine crackers
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon vanilla or vanilla paste
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Double-line a cookie sheet, one with a lip around all four sides, with aluminum foil.
Lay out the saltines in an even layer on the cookie sheet. Set aside.
Place a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the butter, sugar and vanilla, and allow to melt, swirling occasionally (do not stir) until homogeneous.
Once fully melted, allow the mixture to come to a simmer.
Simmer for 3 minutes. Do not stir at all.
Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in an even layer over the saltines.
Once no more caramel will come out, fill the saucepan with water and return to the heat. This will make cleaning the pan much easier.
Place the cookie sheet into the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the toffee begins to darken and bubble up.
Remove the sheet from the oven, and sprinkle over the chocolate chips in an even layer. Allow them to melt from the heat of the toffee before spreading out evenly with a knife or offset spatula.
Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt, and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
