TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars - Two Ways

For Tuesdays with Dorie this week Whitney of What's Left on the Table? chose the Caramel Crunch Bars.  I have had this one bookmarked since I got the book, but just never got around to making it.   Before I get into all that though, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mardi Gras today!  I will be making a New Orleans inspired dinner tonight, complete (hopefully) with a homemade King Cake (barring any disasters throughout the day that is).  At least if I don't get to make the King Cake, our friends can still munch on some of these delicious bars.

I know now that I will make this many more times.  It was easy and delicious.  It lends itself to lots of interpretation as you can see above.  The cookie base is buttery, with a dark, caramel-like flavor from the brown sugar.  I used good milk chocolate for my finely chopped chocolate in the cookie base and for the chocolate / toffee bit version above I used bittersweet chocolate and some milk chocolate on top (since the only toffee bits I could find were actually more like just broken up Heath candy bars instead of just the toffee).

In the future, I will probably just make some toffee with nuts myself since I think that is way I would have really, really loved this.  Also, though the original recipe calls for espresso powder in the cookie base, since I don't have any of that and never do, rather than leave it out, I decided to grind up about a teaspoon of cocoa nibs in a spice grinder and substitute that.  I scored some of the new cocoa nibs that local Utah Chocolatier, Art Pollard, is making over at Amano Artisan Chocolate. I love their chocolates and the fact that they are right here in our little State, so it was an extra special treat to use them.  They have several different varieties, but for my first go around I decided to use the Ocumare.

For my ice cream filled variation on the caramel crunch bars I topped the cookie base with white chocolate and then sprinkled it with some of the cocoa nibs.  After the cookies were all set I sandwiched two cookies each with some Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream I made (I will be posting that recipe soon - promise!  It comes from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz). The ice cream was simple and so fun to make.  It was dreamy and refreshing to eat too and I know I will be making it again in the future.

Be sure to check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see everyone else's creations this week.  I am sure there are insane amounts of chocolate-y goodness running around out there to enjoy.  I am just grateful that I will still have a couple of these to nibble on while viewing.