Because You Asked

These Chocolate Dulce De Leche Bars are soooo good.  I have not eaten them.  Well, sort of.  Since I cannot eat gluten, and graham crackers have gluten, I just scrape the top layer of chocolate and goo off and savor it for a while.  I don't even have the vocabulary to describe it.  They are rich.  Very rich.  So rich, that my sweet-a-holic son will not eat them.  So, because you asked and deserve it, here is the recipe:

CRUST

18 graham cracker boards, crushed
4 TB sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted


FILLING AND TOPPING

3 TB cornstarch
2 TB milk
2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
4 TB unsalted butter, softened
2 TB light corn syrup
8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vegetable shortening (oh, yeah)

1.  Heat oven to 350.  Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick foil:  overhang short ends slightly.

2.  Crust.  Stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl until evenly moistened.  Transfer crumb mixture to prepared baking pan; press crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.

3.  Bake the crust at 350 for 17 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to a rack and cool completely.

4.  Filling & Topping.  Stir together cornstarch and milk.  Bring condensed milk, butter, and corn syrup to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Whisk in cornstarch mixture; cook 2 minutes, whisking, or until thickened.  Pour over crust, spreading level.  Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until topping starts to bubble.  Remove to a rack; refrigerate for 2 hours or until cool.

5.  Microwave chocolate and shortening for 1 minute or until melted, stirring halfway.  Stir until smooth.  Spread evenly over filling and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or until set.  Use foil to lift bar from pan to a cutting board.  Cut into 16 bars.

FYI:  Because we are vultures when it comes to sweets at our house, Jordan cut down on the cooling times by putting them in the freezer instead of refrigerator for shorter time periods.