Tuesday, February 24, 2009

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars




Our Tuesdays with Dorie host this week is Whitney of What's Left on the Table?. Whitney has chosen Dorie's caramel crunch bars. These are slices with a buttery, biscuity base, topped with chocolate and finally with toffee pieces.

In Dorie's photo, she has sandwiched icecream between two bars and wrapped the combination in greaseproof paper. I originally became excited when I thought that the icecream was marshmallow, and this is one thing that I would like to try another day. Alas, it won't be today, as I am typing this in the wee small hours after having just finished the bars, some homemade icecream (to be posted soon) and a birthday cake (also to be posted soon), in amongst watching Underbelly and The Oscars. Congratulations to all the Oscar winners!! And wasn't Hugh gorgeous and charming and talented as the host - lucky Deborah-Lee!


In Australia, neither Heath bits or toffee bits of any variety are easily attainable, so I bought some Werthers hard toffees and pulverised them in the food processor. I probably processed them a little too much, making the pieces almost powdery in some instances, but it didn't really matter in the end.


These tasted pleasant, but did not have the "wow" factor for me - especially if I am going to devote a family sized block of chocolate and a whole packet of toffees to making them. Give me a packet of Tim Tams instead!! This is another Dorie recipe which makes me wonder how on earth she can stay so slim while making stuff like this.


Thanks to Whitney for being our host this week. To check out how the other TWD members went, please visit the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll.

14 comments:

  1. Ooo - marshmallow between these sounds fantastic! Sorry you weren't a huge fan though.

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  2. Wow you've been busy - can't wait to see the birthday cake and ice cream!

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  3. I would inhale these bars. And I'm with you on the meat pies. We eat them all the time. Yum!!!

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  4. Sorry they weren't a hit at your house - I wonder if the toffee bits would have made a difference? The bars were a crowd pleaser with the group I served them to. And lol at the "family sized block of chocolate" - honestly the quantities of butter and chocolate that I've used in the past year are staggering.
    Nancy

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  5. Try some with your homemade ice cream. I couldn't stop eating them.

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  6. Hi Caitlin, I know - it sounds good enough that I'd make them again just for that.

    Hi Megan, they'll be coming soon.

    LOL Duckie - crack bars.

    Hi Nancy, it astonishes me as well. I used to cook with margarine!

    Hi Pinkstripes, I'll try them with the icecream I made - though it might bne an unusual flavour combination (you'll see why when I post the icecream!).

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  7. Ciao ! I made the toffee myself but I agree they were too much !!

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  8. You know, I think your marshmallow idea is something to seriously consider next time :)

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  9. Well...at least you tried them, right? I think Hugh Jackman did a great job at the Oscars. He's so cute!

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  10. I finally make the cover pic cake last night and that icing could have been used between the layers, not that these bars needed any more sweet.
    The next recipe has 9 ozs. of chocolate.
    I too, used to bake with margarine. Ah, the good old days!

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  11. These look perfect, nice job! Mine were a bit crisp, but still tasty :)

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  12. Werthers was a brilliant idea.

    It is great with ice cream.

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  13. Hi Natalia, they were very rich - but an absolute hit at work!

    Hi Dee, absolutely! I think I'd tone down the chocolate though.

    Hi Pamela, yes he is - soooooooo cute.

    Hi Clivia, now there's a thought - I loved that frosting.

    Hi Amanda, I thought I was gonna lose mine when I removed them from the pan because they were still a little warm, and cracked. However, a quick stint in the fridge fixed it.

    Hi Tanya, I have to try this icecream idea, because everyone is saying how good they are served that way.

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  14. Wow -- you've been a busy baker/ice cream maker! I am sorry that this dessert was lacking the wow factor for you. At least you were watching Hugh, which had to take some of that sting away. They can't all be our favorites, I guess!

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Thanks for dropping by!