Homebake Caramel Bars

Hello, dear #foodie friends!

Here I am once more, bringing you another batch of baked goods that I have just tried. Why did I attempt to bake it? Well, here's a quick story: after my son's school celebrated United Nations Day, we had dinner at one of the well-known Filipino restaurants, which not only serves authentic Filipino cuisine but also has a bakery and dessert section. Their caramel bar boxes are displayed on the table as we are waiting for our food orders. What do you think will happen when a child and a toddler are waiting for our food orders and there is a box of caramel bars on the table ready to be taken?

^{Photo taken by my husband.}

And without hesitation, my kids opened the sealed box of sweet bars and even invited the adults to join in eating them. Our food took longer than expected, and my sons and the rest of us at the table had already finished one box before they could even start serving our dinner.

I bought two boxes of this before we went out of the restaurant, but it didn't last for two days. I planned to make homemade bars as a treat for my kid after his test this week. I looked for the easiest recipe online because I had never tried baking this before.

I cannot give tips and tricks because this is my first time doing it, but here are all the ingredients I used and how I did it. If you can give me recommendations to make this recipe even better, I would highly appreciate it!

Ingredients:

1 cup soften butter
1 cup sugar (100g white and 100g brown)
4 pcs egg yolks and 1 pc whole egg
1 can condensed milk (374g)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered milk (Bearbrand)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped cashew nuts

Step-by-step process of how I made the caramel bars.

In a mixing bowl and using a wired whisk I beat the softened unsalted butter until fluffy.

Add in the sugar and continue beating with a wire whisk to get the cream-like texture.

Add the 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg; mix until well combined.

Next, add one can of condensed milk and mix until smooth.
Sift in the dry ingredients, starting with the all-purpose flour, powdered milk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix and fold all the ingredients until well incorporated.

In a 13 x 9-inch pan, line with parchment paper, pour the batter, and spread it evenly using a spatula.

Sprinkle with chopped cashew nuts and bake in a 180 C preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean when you test it.

Let it cool completely before cutting it into the desired pieces. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to cool down, and yes, we failed at waiting! lol

I took a short nap after baking and left the pan on the kitchen counter to cool. I woke up with huge chunks of the caramel bar missing, guessing it was scooped out using a huge spoon! I found out that it was my firstborn and his father who did it! They couldn't wait for me to at least slice it into pieces! lol

It wasn't bad for a first-timer; it was soft and chewy, and the sprinkled cashew nuts gave it a crunch. My family said it tasted the same as those we bought in the restaurant, with less plastic packaging!

I am excited about what to cook or bake next, and I hope to see you at my next one! Thanks for reading!

❤️❤️❤️