This salted chocolate and walnut caramel slice is adapted from Delicious magazine. The slices taste amazing. Since they are quite filling, there is here for a fair number of serves. I made mine in a 20×30 cm slice tray. The recipe originally called for a 23 x 23 cm tray.
There are a few steps to make the salted chocolate caramel slice but all are pretty easy. To make it even easier, I advise using the caramel version of sweet condensed milk.
Ingredients:
BASE
- 220 g plain flour
- 50 g icing sugar, sifted
- 180 g unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
FILLING
- 380 g sweetened caramel condensed milk (this is the volume of a can of condensed milk in Australia)
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 100 g dark corn syrup or glucose syrup
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- one teaspoon worth of good quality vanilla extract
TOP
- 200 g dark 70% cooking chocolate
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 40 g roasted walnuts (roast them 15 minutes in a 160°C oven)
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes (if using a 23×23 cm tin, you will need to use slightly less)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease the base and sides of the slice tin and line with baking paper.
- Place the flour, icing sugar and 1⁄4 tsp salt flakes in a heatproof bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix with your hands to form a sticky paste. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the base is golden. If any bubbles form under the base while baking, use a skewer to gently deflate them.
- Now, for the caramel filling, place all the ingredients in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring well occasionally, until the butter has fully melted and emulsified. The consistency should be thick and gloopy and the colour just a shade darker. Set aside at room temperature. As soon as the base is ready, remove from the oven and immediately pour the caramel filling over the top.
- Reduce the oven to 120°C. Return the filled base to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or so. If it starts to brown too quickly, reduce the oven slightly and continue to bake. When cooked, the middle will feel set and a little rubbery and the sides should be starting to blister and turn light brown. Remove and leave to cool for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
Tip – it is important to place the slice at the bottom of the oven at this stage, it allows cooking while avoiding the top to brown and darken too quickly.
- It is now time to prepare the topping. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir thoroughly then pour it over the top of the caramel. Smooth lightly with an offset spatula or tilt the pan to distribute the chocolate. Crush the walnuts with your hands and sprinkle over the top with the salt flakes.
- Leave to cool a little. It should be fully set after an hour (this depends on the temperature of your kitchen as well). This salted chocolate caramel slice keeps in an air-tight container for a week.
