TWD: Snickery Squares (rewind)

This is one of the recipes I always wanted to try since I opened the book. I love peanuts, and from all chocolate bars you can buy in the store, Snickers are for sure my favourite. I can't imagine that I had my first when I was already 23 years old! We didn't have them in Vienna before Austria joined the European Union. No, Austria never belonged to the Eastern block. But we just did not put so much emphasize on consumption when I was a kid. I definitely neither belong to the "small is beautiful" nor to the "simple things are best"-section. More is more. Period. But food and edibles are maybe the exception to the rule.

Anyways, I had my first Snickers when a german friend I met during my exchange year in France gave me hers, because she couldn't believe I never had one. As I love peanuts and also caramel, and the chocolate is not too dominant in it, and shortbread, sigh - shortbread.... it easily became my favourite disobeyance by the very first bite.

To me it doesn't come as a surprise that Snickery Squares was chosen as one of the first recipes back in March 2008. You can find the recipe on pages 120-122 in Dorie's book or here on Judy's blog "Judy's gross eats". (Funnily, she will also be our host next week, again.)

The Squares are easy to make but hard to cut. You either chill them, so the Dulche de Leche in the middle has the right consistency - but then the chocolate-peanut layer on top is very hard, and so is the shortbread-bottom. Or, you let it come to room temperature, but risk the caramel getting very, very soft and almost liquid.

And these were extremely sweet. Next time, I would definitely not caramelize the peanuts (toasting should be fine) and use unsweetened chocolate. I also would do a bigger cookie-layer and use much less Dulche de Leche. Like that, they should be perfection!

Despite the sweetness I liked the taste a lot, but judging by how much there was left when I left the office, my colleagues felt not quite the same - too sweet, and only eatable in small pieces.

But in the end: Now I can do marshmallows, every kind of icecream, shortbread and Snickers by myself. Wow. Seems I will never have to buy sweets again!