More candy - homemade twix bars

I wish..I wish..I wish I could eat 'em all day.

I mean, thats the least I could say,

1, 2 or maybe even more - flaky crunchy cookie covered with chewy golden caramel and covered in chocolate..mmmm..my favorite candy bar - TWIX!

Twix, more than 40 years old, stands for 'twin sticks' (anyone who's bought them would know - they are usually packaged in pairs). Eat one, and you'll want more. I've always loved Twix bars - there was a time when one didn't get them here - the occasional foreign returned aunt/uncle had to be requested for this & for my other favorite Snicker bars (one of the ignorant ones wondered why I was asking them for nickers). Ofcourse, now they're available at the local 'kirana store' priced at an affordable Rs. 30 per pack.

One reads that Mars Inc. (the manufacturer) now plans to stop selling candy with more than 250 calories in them. This is part of an ongoing effort on their part to improve nutritional value of their products and sell them in a responsible way. Heck, I don't know, if they reduce the candy size I'll just double, triple or quadruple the amount I'd eat normally.

Browsing recipes, I was delighted with this one with instructions to make this yummilicious candy at home. I immediately bought the brand of golden syrup mentioned in the recipe - Lyle's and somehow nothing really happened after that. That was maybe a year ago, when I was in Mumbai.

Almost a year later, about a month ago, I won an assorted hamper from Nestle with a jumble of products - one of them being the ubiquitous Milkmaid, sweetened condensed milk. Armed with my Lyle's golden syrup and the Milkmaid, I set out to make my beloved candy.

Now, I own a thermometer which goes upto 100C - if you own a candy thermometer do visit the site and follow instructions precisement! Taste-wise it was spot on - this was the real thing - the absence of the thermometer did take a toll on the texture - the chocolate was really difficult to spread, it had to be slathered on - what I now have is a glorious mess of delicious caramel sandwiched between crunchy shortbread and chocolate - oh well, it tasted heavenly so who cares if one needs to lick the spoon and the plate and the dish in which it sat! The husband and our delightful chomped and slurped away!

So here goes:

Shortbread

150 gms unsalted butter, softened (make sure the butter is softened - I broke my hand beater thinking it was 'soft' enough)

1/4 cup sugar

1.5 cups flour with 4 tbsp cornflour added (the recipe calls for cake flour - this the substituted version)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground rice (rice blitzed in a grinder until it is able to pass through a fine sieve)

Make the Shortbread:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a 9-X-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (or even foil).
2. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, ground rice and salt. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when you squeeze it.
3. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for another 10 minutes, until the shortbread is a deep golden brown.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack to room temperature.

Caramel

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup (I guess any other brand also should work)

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (thats juice from half a lime)

1 cup cream

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Salt for sprinkling over the caramel layer (I used Fleur de Sel)

Make the Caramel:

1. Combine the sugar, golden syrup, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Remove any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan by wiping down the sides with water.
2. Place the pot on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Make sure no sugar crystals are sticking to the side.
3. When the sugar syrup starts to turn a dark golden test it by dropping it in a bowl of water - when the caramel cools it will be soft yet hold.
4. Carefully whisk in the cream. Stir until smooth, add the condensed milk.
5. Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly over medium heat. Remove from the heat and pour over the shortbread. While the caramel is warm sprinkle the surface with the salt.
6. Allow to set. This will take about 2 hours.

Chocolate layer

150 gms bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used a combination of milk & dark)

2 tablespoons butter

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Make sure you stir the chocolate at 30 second intervals.
2. Once completely melted pour over the caramel. Using an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate in a nice even layer.
3. Place in the refrigerator to set.

Aaaahh..bliss......