Caramel Crumb Bars

Well readers. It's my birthday. The big 2-3. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Is there really any milestone to look forward to after 21? I'm not sure, but let's hope so.  Lindsay and I ended my last night of being 22 with Finding Nemo and 17 Again-- two quality movies. We stayed up until 12:01 and then decided we were too tired and went to bed. Two years ago I definitely would have been out at the bars at 12:01 but movies with an average of a PG rating seemed much better. So far the birthday morning has been good.I almost got ran over by a bike twice on my way to class. Strangely it was the same guy. He passed me on the way to the grocery store and when he was done he almost ran me over again. Someone needs to learn to use the bike path instead of the sidewalk... I'm just saying... Anyways, got to class and I had a whole feast by my seat. I had cheesecake, apple fritter , and a pumpkin spiced latte waiting for me. Dana put a candle in my apple fritter and they started singing which was super sweet. Frankly, I'm really excited for lunch. A bunch of us are going to a restaurant on the capitol square. I can't wait for my burger and beer. Is it wrong to have a beer at noon on a Friday? If so, it's my birthday so I'm going to pretend it's okay. Tonight we're going out to the bars. But it's Halloween weekend so obviously we have to dress up. I'm being a birthday present. I'm literally wrapping myself in wrapping paper and making it a dress. Not sure how I plan on doing that but we'll see how it works out. Here's to hoping I don't freeze to death!

I should probably talk about these caramel crumb bars now. They're yummy. Like SUPER yummy. As you know, I'm not much of a chocolate girl so this kind of dessert is right up my alley. It travels well and it feeds a crowd. The recipe said it makes 32 bars but that seemed a little much to me-- mine made 24 decent sized bars. Everyone who had them loved them. They have just the right amount of sweetness and a caramel filling that is to die for. Do not skip the crumb topping, it definitely makes the dessert.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, unsalted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (2 1/4 cups for crust, 1/4 cup for crumbs)

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil and butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix. Then add in 2 1/4 cups of the all-purpose flour and mix until combined. It should be crumbly. Add 3/4 of the flour mixture into the baking pan and then press it down to make the crust. Put in the refrigerator to chill. Add 1/4 cup of flour to the remaining crust mixture and rub into large crumbles. Chill. In a medium sized saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup over high heat. While continuously stirring, heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the caramel pulls from the sides and bottom of the saucepan. It should be a little darker in color and thick. When ready, pour over the crust and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the large crumbles over the caramel. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes approximately 24 squares.

Source: Recipe from Technicolor Kitchen