Snickery Squares

Fall has only just started and already I have caught my first cold of the season. Great. So these past few days have mostly been spent resting. Luckily I'm already starting to feel much better. The fever is gone and I can breath much easier!

When I'm feeling sick I love eating some comfort food and comfort food for me is not chicken soup, but something with chocolate! I found a nice recipe that didn't require me to do too much work and which filled all my needs! You can easily cut this recipe into three parts, making it seem as if you barely have to do anything at all! I just love that in a recipe!

Recipe

Snickery Squares

Yield: 16 squares

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, cold, in small pieces
1 large egg yolk

For the filling:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup salted peanuts
3/4 - 1 cup dulce de leche

For the topping:
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 stick butter, room temperature, in 8 pieces

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F). Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Start with making the crust. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, confectioners' sugar and salt. Add the pieces of butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.

Pour the egg yolk over the ingredients and pulse until the dough forms clumps and curds. Stop before the dough comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan.

With a fork prick the dough all over.

Slide the pan with the sheet into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until it takes on just a little color around the edges.

Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool to room temperature before filling.

To make the filling line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Put the sugar and water in a thick-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

Keep the heat fairly high and continue to cook until it just starts to color.

Add the peanuts and, with a long spoon, immediately start stirring to coat the peanuts.

The peanuts will turn white. Keep stirring until the sugar turns back into caramel and the nuts are coated with a nice deep amber caramel.

Remove the pan from the heat and spread the nuts out onto the prepared baking sheet. Let cool to room temperature.

When the nuts are cool enough break them into pieces, making the nuts as loose as possible.

Stir 3/4 of the peanuts into the dulce de leche and spread this mixture over the crust.

Chop the rest of the peanuts finely.

To make the topping melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.

Remove the chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, until the butter is completely blended into the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche. Smooth the top and sprinkle the finely chopped peanuts over it.

Put the pan into a refrigerator for 20 minutes. If you'd like to serve them cool, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours.

Cut into 16 squares.

Source: Slightly adapted from Baking, from my home to yours, by Dorie Greenspan