CARAMEL BARS

I can't even count how many times I have made this dessert for various occasions, and every single time that I take it somewhere, I always have many people begging for the recipe!  It is actually pretty simple, doesn't require very many ingredients and you can't go wrong when you have chocolate AND caramel together!

Caramel Bars

CRUST
2 sticks butter (1 cup total, softened to room temperature)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together and then add flour to the mixture.  It will be crumbly and seem a little bit dry, but that's perfect!

Pat the mixture into a greased 9X13 pan - I'm sure you could use a spoon or something, but I always just use my fingers and it works great.  Bake the crust at 350 for 15 minutes.

CARAMEL LAYER
Once the crust is out and cooling, you can begin making the caramel layer.  In a sauce pan, bring the following ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly, until mixture is a light toffee color.  If you have a candy temperature, the mixture will be ready once the mixture reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit (soft ball stage).  It will take about 10-15 minutes.

2 sticks butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tbsp. light corn syrup

Pour mixture over baked crust and immediately sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips on the top of the caramel layer.  I usually use about 3/4 of a bag.

You want to sprinkle them as evenly as possible so that there is a single layer of chocolate chips - if you have chocolate chips on top of other chocolate chips, they will not melt properly.  Wait a couple of minutes, until all of the chocolate chips are "shiny" and then they will be melted enough to spread.  Spread the chocolate chips evenly into a smooth layer on top of the chocolate layer.  Chill in fridge and cut into bars when set.  Enjoy!