Why This Blog?

Welcome!

Come in and make yourself at home. I'm so happy to be able to share my recipes here with you.

I bake mostly cookies, quick breads, muffins and scones -- sometimes pie, sometimes cake, but nothing too fancy. I prefer simple recipes that call for ingredients that I already have in my kitchen.

These are the recipes I will share with you. They come from family and friends, magazine clippings saved through the years, favorite cookbooks, and other blogs.

I'm so glad you came to visit. Enjoy your stay!

Michael Ann

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Bars


Oh boy, do I have a recipe for you! I found it in the food section of the newspaper a couple of years ago. The topic of the article was macadamia nut farms in Hawaii.  Cathy Haber, a chef at the Aloha Angel Cafe on The Big Island, created these bars and it is now their specialty.

Buttery, crunchy and chocolatey..... these bars are rich tasting and delicious. Believe it or not, they are easy to make too!!

Crust:
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted

Caramel:
3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Topping:
1-1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I like to use the mini ones.)

Preheat over to 350F. Grease (or spray) a 13x9 inch baking pan.

In a skillet on low heat, lightly toast the chopped macadamia nuts. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small chunks and work into the flour mixture with a pastry blender. Or, using a cheese grater, grate the butter in, stirring often. Use your fingers to mix it all until crumbly. Pour into pan and spread. Sprinkle toasted macadamia nuts on top and press firmly to make a compact layer.

In a heavy medium saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until thoroughly combined and smooth. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until entire surface of caramel is bubbly. Immediately pour hot caramel over crust and spread using off-set spatula or the back of a metal spoon.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until caramel is bubbly.

Remove pan from oven. Wait 1 minute and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over caramel. Let stand a few minutes for chocolate to melt, then spread evenly with off-set spatula or back of metal spoon. Cool completely then refrigerate to set. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Happy Baking!







12 comments:

  1. This recipe sounds amazing! MY kind of dish. Thanks for sharing at Weekend Potluck...please come again soon.

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  2. --All I can say is OOooooh, Baaaaby!

    This looks DeeeLISH. Xx

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  3. Yummy omg! sound delish, So who gets all your baked goods? I send mine to my hubby's work, they love me they want to put a dumpster outside the kitchen window! Wonderful post Andi

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    1. Ha! I bring a lot to my work. Work is a great place to share! :-)

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  4. Ooh, yum! I pinned it to make sometime soon!

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  5. OMG, yet another recipe that is too good to pass up. So much for my diet! ;)

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  6. I do love macadamia anything! They look delicious.

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  7. Macadamias are wonderful nuts, and these bars sound delicious!!!!

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  8. These sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday and I hope that you will join us again this coming week. Pinning these.

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  9. Wow, I would love this recipe! Looks really good. Thank you for linking up on Foodie Friends Friday! Please come back this week to join us again!

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  10. You had me at macadamia nut.....Pinning this one for sure!

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I love your comments!

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