I made that!

Today I tackle the Twix candy bar, another personal favorite!

I got started by cooking the dulce de leche. This was a time-consuming task involving about 3 hours of cooking over a pot of simmering water to evaporate the water without scorching the milk.

Then I made a shortbread dough and pressed it into a buttered pan.

I pricked holes in the dough and baked it until it was nice and browned.

I spread on top my dulce de leche and popped it in the freezer to really firm up.

And then I spread on some chocolate.

And then disaster struck. Big time. When I cut my little bars, all of the dulce de leche oozed out the sides. Totally not cute at all. By this time it was midnight, I had worked a full shift at the restaurant and was NOT in the mood for failure. But these little punks didn’t care. They failed anyways. So I broke up with them, kicked them out of the candy bar club and officially disinvited them from the party.

But you know what? They still tasted good. Really good and very Twix-esque. So I’ll probably nibble them on the sly…

RECIPE: (adapted from BAKED: New Frontiers in Baking)

Shortbread:

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 /12 cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

Caramel filling:

28 ounces sweetened condensed milk (two 14-ounce cans)

1/2 vanilla bean

Chocolate glaze:

6 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), coarsely choppe

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

For the shortbread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until blended.

3. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat for a few seconds, or until just combined.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently work the dough into a 6-by-6-inch square. You will have to turn the dough and sprinkle the top with flour as you go. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup flour on the surface of the dough. Fold the dough over and knead until incorporated, then flatten the dough into a rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to the prepared pan and press it into the pan.

5. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in the center of the oven for 23 to 26 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the caramel filling:

Put the sweetened condensed milk in a medium heat-proof bowl and set it over a saucepan of boiling water over low heat with the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean. Cook for  1 1/2 hours, until thick and caramel colored. Remove the bowl from the pan and beat until smooth.

3. Pour the caramel filling over the cooled shortbread and place the pan in the refrigerator until cool, about two hours.

For the chocolate glaze:

1. In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled caramel layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

2. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the glaze hardens.

3. Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving so as not to crack the chocolate glaze. Cut into squares and serve.

The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.