Chocolate Dulce De Leche bars

Yeah yeah, I know this is NOT a healthy recipe... But that's not to say it's bad!  Dessert is a necessity to keeping a sane life...  I've adapted this recipe from  to make it leaner and healthier and it's still SOOOOO delicious...  This recipe is incredibly easy to make and has little flour or salt.  The dark chocolate has antioxidants (use 60% cacao or more!), and the bars are rich and large so you are truly sated after just one.  Another bonus: this recipe makes a large batch so it's an easy dessert to take to your next function; my book club friends loved them!

What you need:

Crust:
18 graham cracker boards
4 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (you can use margarine, you can NOT use light margarine.  I prefer Smart Balance, it works great for baking and has Omega 3's.  If you use smart balance or margarine, do NOT add salt!)

Filling & topping:
3 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs milk
2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk - 1 regular, 1 fat free.  Don't buy the cheap brand, you will regret it. 
4 Tbs unsalted butter, softened (again, you can sub Smart balance or margarine, just not light of either)
2 Tbs light maple syrup
6-8 oz dark chocolate - the darker the better (and healthier!)  I used 60% cacao.  (You can use milk chocolate if you're a chocolate wimp)
1 tsp vegetable shortening

What to do:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  If you are using a dark pan, heat to 325.  Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil and spray bottom and sides well with non-stick spray.

For the crust:

• Crush graham crackers.  If you have a food processor, this is the easiest way.  If you do not, (raised hand...) I put them in a gallon sized zippered baggie and go at them with a rolling pin, ora can of veggies to crush.  Have kids?  They will LOVE this....  Need to let some anger out?  You will love this.... 

• Stir crushed graham crackers, sugar, salt and melted butter together until evenly coated.  (remember, if you used margarine or Smart Balance instead of unsalted butter, do not add salt!)

• Press crumb mixture into prepared baking pan.  Press evenly over the bottom of the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

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

For the filling:

• Stir together cornstarch and milk.  

• In a saucepan, bring condensed milk, butter and syrup to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Whisk in cornstarch mixture and cook 4 minutes or until thickened, whisking constantly.    

• Pour mixture over crust, spreading level.  Bake for 8 minutes or until topping starts to bubble.  

• Remove to a rack and let cool.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely cold.

For the topping:

• Use a double boiler to melt chocolate and vegetable shortening.  If you don't have one, you can microwave chocolate ON A VERY LOW HEAT SETTING until melted.  I recommend microwaving in segments of 1 minute at power level 5 or lower until melted.

• Pour melted chocolate over the top of your bars and spread evenly.  Refrigerate until set, at least 45 minutes.

•  SIDE NOTE:  The first time I made these I almost felt as if there was too much chocolate.  For those of you who know me, you know I have never uttered those words before because, for me, there is no such thing as "too much chocolate."  However in this case I felt it would've been better with less chocolate on top.  Up to you!  Also, instead of spreading across the entire top, you could swirl the chocolate on the top to make fun patterns!  I didn't think of this until later in the evening, but that would be a fun and beautiful way to display these bars!  I'll try that next time......

• Use foil to lift bars (quickly!) from pan to a cutting board.  Cut into 16 squares with a serrated (bread) knife. This part gets messy, so have fun! 

•  These bars are sticky and messy so I placed them each on their own parchment liner.  It looks super cute, and it makes it easier for people to grab an individual square....
  
  
   
•  Husband tested and approved.....
  
  
  
  
  
  Love this man.  Even with what looks to be "pirate eye" in this picture, haha!
  
  

 Enjoy!  KDH.