Before I begin, I just want to say that I’m not at all sorry for sharing this dessert with you. Yes, it’s a crazy dessert–yes, it’s so insanely good that I nearly picked through half of the pan before I managed to pry my paws off of these layered bars long enough to package them and ship them off. But will I say sorry?
Certainly not!
The thing is, I’m a chronic sorry-sayer. If you’re not one yourself, you know one: that friend who, even when she is doingyoua favor, will say “sorry” out of instinct more than anything else. And then of course, there’s the neverending loop of sorries, which usually happens when somebody points out that you’re saying sorry way too much, so yourfirst response is toapologize for saying sorry so often–and thus begins the Great Chain of Apologies.
But as I said, I won’t be apologizing for these bars. Not even a tiny morsel, because they are unforgivingly knock-your-socks-off good.
I won’t apologize for the way your jeans fit after you eat them.
I won’t apologize for the incessant daydreams and steady stream of drool that these bars may incur during your regular work/schoolday routine, most probably (knowing your luck) right as your boss/teacher is asking you an important question.
In all seriousness, though: saying sorry really is an infliction, since the act of saying sorry when one has little to nothing for which to be sorry is really an indicator of something deeper happening. Severaltimes in the past six months or so,I’ve called up some of my closest friends in the hopes of talking through some difficult issues–moral compasses, ethical dilemmas, others’ emotions, my own repeated near-meltdowns (or actual meltdowns, as earlier this week proved). The first words out of my mouth on every call were: “Sorry, do you have time to talk?” One text I sent said: “Sorry, can I be honest?”
And the first words my friends–all of them–said were not “of course” or “sure!” but: “Dude, don’t apologize.”
Followed by: “This is what friends are for. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to listen.”
It’s funny how entrapped we can become in our expressions without being really aware of them. When I say sorry, I am expressing an internalized, pessimistic version of how I perceive myself in my relationships with others; in a way, I’m “sorry” because I do think that my thoughts are an inconvenience and burden to other people’s energy and interests. As time goes on, however, and as my friends continue to remind me with the utmost sincerity to stop apologizing, I’ve begun to realize that I really have no reason to be sorry, but every reason to be grateful.
Soto anyone out there reading this: not only am I not sorry to be sharing this dessert with you, I amimmensely appreciative that I have someone as special as you around, with whom I can share this jean-busting damn delicious dessert!
And you bet your skin-tight hot pants that I am dead serious about these bars right now.
These 4-layer everything bars are a TOP TEN kind of recipe for me–hands down one of the best, mind-blowing desserts I have ever made, as long as you’re not attempted to ship it 500 miles or something by post (like I might’ve done, oops). Thelayersare absolutely insane, so let me walk you through them:
- Chocolate chip cookie base:a chewy chip-studded cookie base is made perfectly easy with prepared refrigerated cookie dough! Feel free to sub your favorite homemade cookie dough recipe here.
- Caramel layer:a creamy, indulgent layer of caramel made from unwrapped caramel candies oozes out over the top of the cookie base, leaving a wonderful blast of sweetness on your tongue.
- Nougat:the subtle flavor of cream, marshmallow, and peanuts fills this fluffy layer!
- Rice Krispies Chocolate Ganache:amp up your plain old ganache with some rice cereal–it adds an incredible textured crunch and brings the whole bar together into a cohesive unit of bliss.
As I said, I’m not apologizing for this one–but if I had to, it would be for the sheer amount of times folks are going to be begging you to make this recipe for them. But I’m not. Maybe I’ll glue my mouth shut with some nougat and call it a day, hm?
TRY THESE BARS ASAP and then tell me: what do you think about sorry-saying?
A top-ten Wallflour Girl favorite recipe! Chewy chocolate chip cookie base, sweet caramel, creamy nougat filling, and a rice krispies-filled chocolate ganache--unlike anything I've ever tried. Adapted from Deliciously Yum.
Ingredients
For the chocolate chip cookie layer:
- 1 (12 oz) package prepared chocolate chip cookie dough
For the caramel layer:
- 35 caramels, unwrapped
- 1 tablespoon evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon water
For the nougat filling:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
For the rice krispies chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup rice krispies cereal
Instructions
For the chocolate chip cookie layer:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch baking pan and press prepared dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. As the cookie layer bakes, move on and make your caramel!
For the caramel layer:
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt down the caramel, stirring frequently, until completely creamy and smooth. Pour over cooled cookie crust, then place pan into freezer for 10 minutes (so that it sets up before you pour the next layer on top).
For the nougat filling:
- In the same saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low and allow mixture to simmer without stirring for 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine marshmallow cream and peanut butter. Pour boiled mixture over marshmallow mixture and whisk together.
- Pour over cooled caramel layer, then return pan to freezer for additional 10 minutes.
For the rice krispies chocolate ganache:
- Place chocolate chips in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat up cream until it's hot but not yet boiling or scalded. Pour hot cream over chocolate and stir vigorously, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in cereal and spread out as evenly as you can over the nougat layer.
- Refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours before cutting into them. Then dig in and enjoy immensely!
