Caramel Slice

Oh sweet sweet sweetness... as a savory lover, there are very few sweets that pass my fussy lips...but this delicious treat...well I could eat a truckload, yack from feeling sick, and eat some more. Yes the perfect treat. Okay so I have a weak spot for caramel...who doesn't?! This can be made in so many ways with so many ingredients, but ive gone for simple and inexpensive. Some people use vanilla bean in the caramel, others put cinnamon in the shortbread base. Play around with it, but its cheap and cheerful just like this...
Anyways, take this to your next homegroup/ladies meeting/craft lunch/potluck...whatever, and be prepared to hand out the recipe when asked!
You Will Need:
Base -

• 115g butter
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup caster sugar

Filling -

• 175g butter
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 4 Tbs maple/golden syrup
• 395g can of condensed milk

Topping-

• 200g cooking chocolate

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius (160 fan forced). Grease & line a slice tin approx 25cm wide
2. Place flour, butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix and squish with your hands until its all combined and sticks together. If you have a food processor that will do the trick. I do not, so hands it is. Then press the mixture into your tin, flatten surface with your palms. Bake for 25 mins or so, or until golden.

mix till stuck together /combined

flatten into a slice tin

bake till golden

3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the butter, sugar, syrup and condensed milk in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mixture becomes very thick.

starting to heat up

almost ready...dont freak if it gets brown in it like this, its normal and it disappears when the caramel hardens in the fridge

4. Pour over the shortbread base and chill in refrigerator until firm. Give it at least two hours. I give it 5 hours because the caramel tastes so much better when its firmer.

pour caramel onto base, spread out evenly with a spatula

5. Finally, melt the chocolate either over the stove in a bowl that fits over a saucepan with a little simmering water at the bottom, (youtube how to melt chocolate if you've never done this, easy...apparently.) or if your lazy like me, put your chocolate broken into bits in the microwave for 50 seconds, then 30 second incriments, stirring in between until chocolate is melted. Pour over the set caramel, and put back in fridge to set. The chocolate wont take long to set, maybe 20 mins at the most.
Slice to your liking and serve!