Chocolate caramel slice have an egg free brown sugar shortbread layered with a homemade caramel filling and a soft chocolate ganache topping. These yummy dessert squares are simple to make and are pure indulgence! They do take a little time to cool between adding the layers, but the extra time is worth it.
This post was originally published in August of 2019 and has been updated with helpful success tips and new photos. The recipe for the chocolate layer is slightly different, but the rest of the recipe remains the same.
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Chocolate caramel slice came about as a bit of an accident. I had been experimenting with different crusts. When I attempted this brown sugar shortbread crust for a pie, it basically fell apart on me. The flavor was so good though that I set it aside thinking we'd just crumble it on ice cream or something.
Then I remembered that I had whiskey vanilla caramel sauce sitting in the refrigerator. I am a complete sucker for shortbread and caramel so I pressed the shortbread into a baking pan and topped it with the caramel sauce. It was just begging for a layer of chocolate over the whole top!
When Mr. two sugar bugs tried one he declared them, "the best thing you've created yet". Let me tell you, that's quite a compliment! This yummy recipe takes a bit more time to come together than some of my recipes, but it's still simple to make.
Jump to:
💬 what is caramel slice?
Caramel slice is a treat that originated in Australia and New Zealand. It has a shortbread base, caramel filling and a chocolate topping. Variations are also called caramel shortbread, caramel squares and millionaire's shortbread. It seems that a traditional caramel slice has a caramel layer made from sweetened condensed milk and golden syrup.
I'm going in a slightly different direction with a true homemade caramel sauce without condensed milk. This means that the caramel slice bars are going to be a little messy. As in you are definitely going to need a napkin messy. And be prepared to lick your fingers. 😉
🛒 ingredient notes
I adjusted the original recipe by using chocolate ganache for a softer chocolate topping. The recipe card below has the original chocolate layer option in the notes.
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
Caramel sauce ~ for a traditional caramel, use the caramel from my caramel slice brownies. My cookie butter caramel can also be used.
Brown sugar ~ I like dark brown sugar, but light brown can be substituted.
Chocolate ~ Use a chocolate bar and chop it into small pieces to create the simple ganache. I like milk chocolate, but a semi-sweet chocolate would also work here.
🥣 how to make
First you will make the homemade caramel. In my family, we like this recipe with Whiskey Vanilla Caramel Sauce. If you prefer a less messy caramel layer, or one without alcohol, use the homemade caramel from this caramel cookie recipe. The homemade caramel sauce needs to be room temperature before you add it to the baked shortbread layer.
Then prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Next you will make the shortbread base. You will whip the butter, kosher salt and brown sugar until it's light and fluffy.
Then with the mixer on low, add the flour one tablespoon at a time. You might be tempted to dump in all the flour at once, but don't rush this process. It will take 3 minutes to incorporate all of the flour.
Once the dough has come together, press it into a parchment lined 8x8 baking pan. The dough is a bit sticky so I like to use a butter wrapper to press the dough into the pan.
Bake the shortbread base until lightly browned at the edges and allow it to cool completely. You can place the shortbread in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process, if you desire.
Then pour the homemade caramel sauce over the cooled shortbread layer. Place the pan in the refrigerator until the caramel sauce firms up. This can take 30-60 minutes.
Finally, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream to create the ganache. Milk or dark chocolate both work wonderfully in this recipe. Then pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer and smooth it with a spatula. If you want to see how to make this easy design, see my orange creamsicle bars tutorial. Allow the chocolate to cool and firm up in the refrigerator.
🔪 how to cut into squares
- Use the parchment paper to pull the bars out of the baking pan before slicing them.
- Use a warm, but dry knife to make the cuts.
- Score the chocolate lightly prior to making the actual cut.
- Wipe the knife clean between cuts.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make this Chocolate Caramel Slice. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Chocolate Caramel Slice
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams in parenthesis DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Equipment
Ingredients
- Whiskey Vanilla Caramel Sauce* full recipe
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter slightly softened (170g)
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed (50g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (188g)
chocolate ganache**
- 4 ounces milk chocolate chopped small (113g)
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream (45g)
Instructions
- Make a full recipe of Whiskey Vanilla Caramel Sauce, allow to cool to room temperature.*
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, allow some overhang on the sides so you can easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, whip the butter (12 tablespoons/170g), brown sugar (¼ cup/50g) and kosher salt (¼ teaspoon) on medium high (speed 6 on KitchenAid) until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Once the butter and brown sugar are light and fluffy, scrape up and down the sides of the mixing bowl. Then with the mixer on low speed (stir on KitchenAid), add the flour (1 ½ cups/188g) one tablespoon at a time. Stopping about halfway through to scrape up and down the sides of the mixing bowl. Don't be tempted to speed this process up. It will take about 3 minutes to fully incorporate.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. The dough is a little sticky so I use an empty butter paper to press it into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are just lightly beginning to brown. Allow to cool completely before adding the caramel. (I often stick it in the refrigerator to speed this process up)
- Pour the caramel sauce over the cooled crust and allow to set before adding the chocolate layer. (I stick it in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes)
chocolate ganache topping
- Melt chocolate (4 ounces/113g) and heavy cream (3 tablespoons/45g) together in a double boiler, stirring until completely melted. Pour over caramel layer and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares. I find using a warm, but dry, knife helps to get clean cuts. I also wipe my knife between cuts to keep the slices clean.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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