Chocolate & Caramel Topped Shortbread Truffle Brownies

06bTBrownieClosebfLOLong title for a tasty brownie. I don’t recall how I came across this recipe, from chef­in­training.com, but I do know that I’ve bookmarked her site for future visits. This brownie, topped with a shortbread and cream cheese mixture, then topped with melted caramel, and finally topped with melted dark chocolate was a big hit after a dinner of barbecued corned beef and honey mustard coleslaw, and because they kinda have to be kept in the fridge, they’ll last for at least a week, if you don’t have a crowd to finish ’em off.

01cBrownieBatterbfLONote: the ingredients list is a might bit long, and the prep a wee, tiny bit time consuming, but it’s all simple to find and do, and easy to work the steps into your daily routine.

INGREDIENTS
01dBrownieLayerbfLOBrownies:
•1 cup butter, softened
•2 cups sugar
•4 eggs
•1 tsp vanilla
•1/2 tspn salt
•1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
•1-1/3 cup flour

Shortbread Truffle:
•10 oz shortbread cookies
•6 oz cream cheese, softened
•1/2 cup sugar

02aShortbreadbfLOCaramel:
•14 oz bag of caramel cubes, unwrapped
•2 tbsp milk

Chocolate:
•1-1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
•1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
•1 tbsp shortening

Heat your oven to 350º and lightly grease a 13×9 inch baking dish.

Cream the butter together with the sugar together, then add the vanilla and eggs and mix well.

02dShrotbreadDoughbfLOWhisk the salt, cocoa powder and flour together and stir in to the creamed butter until well mixed. Do not over mix.

Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 25 to ­30 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

02eShortbreadLayerbfLOWhile the brownies are cooling, make the shortbread truffle layer by placing the cookies in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulsing until they’ve been crushed into a fine powder. Add the sugar, pulsing to blend, then the cream cheese, pulsing until you have a well blended, very thick dough.

The original recipe says to “gently press shortbread truffle evenly over cooled brownies.”

Well, good luck with that. I tried it that way, and I came out with some bare patches. 03dCaramelLayerbfLONext time (and there will be a next time), I plan on turning the shortbread out onto waxed or parchment paper and shaping it into, Idunno, one large rectangle or several smaller pieces to then fit over the cooled brownie layer and press into place.

Splotchy (but ultimately fine) shortbread truffle layer in place, we’re down to the easy stuff.

04bChocolateLayerbfLOAdd the caramel cubes and milk in a ‘wave safe bowl, pop it in the machine, and hit 30 seconds. Stir, then return to the ‘wave and continue to hit 30 seconds, stirring after each ‘ping!’ until the mixture is smooth.

Working kinda quickly, pour evenly over brownie and shortbread truffle, spread the caramel to the edges.

Cover the pan and stash in the fridge for an hour to allow the caramel layer to set – don’t get twitchy, we’re almost done, and you’ll need that shelf space in the fridge for storing the brownies anyway.

06aTBrowniesPlatebfLOOnce the caramel has set, add the chocolate chips and shortening (I used Irish butter) in your ‘wave safe bowl – see? that hour set-up time gave you the chance to clean up the kitchen a bit, so you can now re-use the caramel bowl – and ‘wave for 30 seconds (sound familiar?). Stir the chips, pop back into the ‘wave, repeating the 30 seconds, then stir bit, until the chocolate is smooth and nicely melted.

Spread over the caramel topped shortbread truffle brownies, cover, and stash back in the fridge for an hour or so to set the chocolate layer.

06bTBrownieIceCreambfLOBoom, done! It’s all over now but the shouting (for “more, please!”).

I would recommend removing the brownies from the fridge 30 or 45 minutes before you plan on serving them, just to make all those layers a little bit easier to cut through.

These brownies are most excellent all on their own, but, if you really need a special treat, try placing a brownie in a small ‘wave safe bowl and hitting 30 seconds.

Remove, add a scoop of good vanilla ice cream, and consider yourself well and truly treated.

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