Sweet and Salty Squares

Sweet and salty squares are so good, I just had to make them. I couldn’t help it.

Warning: These sweet and salty bars are addictive!

You know how it is…you are waiting in line for what seems like forever at Starbucks and all you have to do while waiting is either listen to the man in front of you talking loudly on his cell phone or stare at the pastry case.  I choose to do both. ????

It’s my son’s fault, really.  He is absolutely in love with the rocky road cake pops.  I mean, how can you say no to him.  Not only does he have the most beautiful brown eyes you have ever seen but he also can argue his case well.

I say ” you do not need a sweet treat, we are just here for coffee”  He says ” Mom, seriously it is like 1 bite of cake and it’s SO cheap“.  He is right.  He did have a point and he knew it!

The worst part is I can make cake pops.  I can and have made him his own little treasure trove of cake pops, but Noooooo. He wants the kind that come frozen, from a truck.  Go figure….

But this is how I came to discover the happiness that is the Starbucks sweet and salty squares.

Sweet, salty, soft and crunchy all in one bite.  Heaven  in my mouth I tell you!  BUT, not to be outdone I had to go and make my own.  Now mine are more crunchy, not quite as soft.  But in my opinion (and I made them so that is what counts ???? they are awesome!  Not as messy as the ones at Starbucks.  Who knew?

But these things are like Crack.  OK, not funny… drugs are not funny.  But these sweet and salty squares are addictive and it is very hard to just have one. ????

Go ahead…try it….

Sweet and Salty Squares

Crust base:
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C all purpose flour
Mix the first 3 ingredients with a pastry blender then add the flour, ‘cut it in’ to combine.  Press into an 8 inch square glass pan that has been buttered and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Caramel layer:
2 sticks of butter
1 C of firmly packed brown sugar
In a saucepan melt the butter then add the brown sugar.  Allow to boil, lightly on medium heat until a light caramel forms, about 5 minutes.

The Rest:
pretzel sticks
chocolate chips (your choice)
When your crust is complete sprinkle a layer of pretzel sticks thinly over the hot crust.  Pour the contents of the caramel sauce over the pretzels and crust and then sprinkle on a layer of chocolate chips.  I used dark (60% Cacao) Ghiradelli chips to offset the sweetness of the caramel.  I used roughly a cup of chips.  Use more if you want to, I wanted a nice swirl on top so I went light on them. I used a flat spatula to smooth over the chips as they melted.  The more you use the thicker the chocolate top will be.  This particular time I added only 1 cup so it was a bit swirled.  Both the caramel layer and the chocolate one firm up nicely together ????

Allow to set until firm, cut and serve!  Mine are a bit crunchy, not as soft as the S-Bucks variety.