Not Quite Snickery Squares, or . . . Because I Forgot to Buy Peanuts

This is a copy of my grocery list and you can see clearly that I absolutely planned on picking up some salted peanuts when I was at the grocery store yesterdayafternoon, just so that I could do this week's Tuesdays With Dorie challenge. OH, and what a delicious one it looked to be!!!!Snickery Bars, as chosen by Erin of Dinner and Dessert!

Now, I just love Snickers Chocolate Bars, and I thought to myself, as soon as I saw this recipe and it's accompanying photo, that this was one delicious challenge that both Todd and were going to really enjoy, and that, in fact, that it might actually be quite dangerous to have these things around the house for very long!!!



I got all the way home from the Grocery store, yesterday, (yes, yesterday folks!) and what to my frustration did I discover, but . . . that I had completely forgotten the salted peanuts!!!!! $£^%*! ( although I did happen to have a few other things in my bags that I hadn't even put on my list) Why does that always happen??? You go to the store for milk and end up with three bags full of stuff ! There you are at home, with all these tasty extras . . . but no milk??? I don't know about you, but . . . it happens to me all the time! Anyways, I digress . . .

I found myself standing here in my kitchen with lots of stuff, but no peanuts, and very short on time, as I only had an hour or so before I had to go back to work. The thinking cap quickly went on and then I had a wonderful moment of inspiration. I'd use pecans! (I had plenty of those!)



I love pecans. Pecan pie is one of my absolute favouritest pies of all time! I can remember buying one when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, bringing it home, sitting down at the kitchen table with it, and cutting one piece from it, tucking into that one delicious piece, and enjoying and savouring every mouthful in a way that only a very heavily pregnant woman can do . . . and then, because I was suddenly frightened that I would eat the whole pie and I didn't want to do that and have to go back to the Doctors the next week and explain how all of a sudden I had put on ten more pounds, I threw it into the bin. And then, just to make sure that I didn't take it out again and dust it off, I emptied an ashtray on top of it and smushed all the contents into it, and then . . . spent the whole rest of the day wishing I hadn't of done that. Anyways, I digress again!!!

Pecans it was. Now, I am not a real fan of making caramel. Most times when I make caramel, I have to do it at least two or three times, because I invariabley burn it the first time around and it has to be dumped. Yesterday I was thrilled when my caramel turned out perfect the first time! I am sure it was down to Dorie's most wonderful instructions. That's one thing I am noticing about her recipes. The instructions on them are infallible!



Before too long (this was a really easy and quick recipe to put together) I had the squares chilling in the fridge and I was on my way back to work. I could hardly wait to get home last night so that I could cut into them and try them out!

H-E-A-V-E-N-L-Y

That's the only word that can possibly describe them. Unless you count TO-DIE-FOR (and yes, I do know that's three words) I kid you not!!!!

There is a big part of me that knows I should be dumping these into the bin and dumping some garbage on top of them, because they are just too, too, TOO good and I don't want to eat them all, but then again, there is a LARGER part of me (and it's about two axe handles wide) that won't let me do that. I just may have to tuck into one of these for breakfast. . .

Dulce De Leche is one of the four food groups isn't it? (Yes, it is!!! I think it comes under the heading of milk and dairy products!)




*Snickery Squares*

For the Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
2 TBSP powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled (* TBS)
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the Filling:
½ cup sugar
3 TBSP water
1 ½ cups salted peanuts
About 1 ½ cups store-bought dulce de leche

For the Topping:
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature (4 TBS)

Getting Ready:
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 8 inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To Make the Crust:
Toss the flour, sugar, powdered sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Toss in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 12 times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour the 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. Prick the dough with a fork and slide the sheet into the oven.Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until it takes on just a little color around the edges. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Have a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet at the ready, as well as a long-handled wooden spoon and a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to color. Toss the peanuts and immediately start stirring. Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with sugar. Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white—keep stirring until the sugar turns back into caramel. When the peanuts are coated with a nice deep amber caramel, remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts out onto the baking sheet., using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can. Cool the nuts to room temperature.When they are cool enough to handle, separate the nuts or break them into small pieces. Divide the nuts in half. Keep half of the nuts whole or in biggish pieces for the filling, and finely chop the other half for the topping.Spread the dulce de leche over the shortbread base and sprinkle over the whole candied nuts.

To Make the Topping:
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, stirring until it is fully blended into the chocolate.Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche, smoothing it with a long metal icing spatula, then sprinkle over the rest of the peanuts. Slide the pan into the fridge to set the topping, about 20 minutes; if you’d like to serve the squares cold, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours before cutting.
Cut into 16 bars.

PSSTT!!! Make sure you pop on over to Tuesdays With Dorie anc check out all of the other delicious bars!