Salted Sesame Caramel Millionaire Bars

The best and most surprising recipe from my job at a bakery a few years ago were these bars. Seriously, I expected to hate them and put off trying them for months only to discover they were dangerously addictive. That perfect blend of rich, sweet, salty flavor and the sesame in the tahini just makes them inexplicably good! Sure, they’re gluten free, dairy free, vegan and whatnot, but honestly they are not missing a dang thing. If you like trying new things these may be for you!

The recipe is here, and pictures of the process are below:

Ingredients:

Crust:

300 g almond flour
83 g coconut oil
115 g maple syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ tsp. fine salt

Filling:

250 g stirred tahini
200 g maple syrup
135 g coconut oil
13 g pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. fine salt

Chocolate Topping:

150 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate
25 g vegetable shortening
Coarse or flakey salt for sprinkling

Directions:

This is one of those recipes that takes about 4-12 hours with chilling time. It’s worth it.
Prepare a 9x9” pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350ᵒF.
To make the crust, melt the 83 g coconut oil, 115 g maple syrup, 1 tsp. vanilla, and salt together on low-medium heat in a medium sized pot.
Once melted, pour into a mixing bowl. Set the pot aside. To the bowl, add the 300 g almond flour and mix well.
Press into the prepared baking pan, making sure it’s even. Use a fork to stab holes all over the crust – this helps it bake more evenly and ventilate.
Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until golden on the edges and very light gold and dry on top.
To the same pot, add the 250 g tahini, 200 g maple syrup, 135 g coconut oil, 13 g vanilla, and 1 tsp. salt. Heat on low-medium, just until it barely starts to bubble and smell toasty, stirring frequently as it heats.
Once simmering, pour over the hot cooked crust and set aside at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Wrap the pan and chill completely on the fridge, for about 4-8 hours.
Time to prepare the chocolate coating. This last step is the scariest, because you have to pour the chocolate and spread it quickly as it sets up rapidly.
Prep your area beforehand, get your coarse salt ready and have a spreading spatula (e.g. a small offset spatula) ready.
Add the chocolate and shortening to a Pyrex mixing jar with a spout. Heat in 15-20 second bursts, stirring between each addition until well melted.
Take the cold bars out of the fridge and unwrap. Quickly pour all of your chocolate onto the bars, using a rubber spatula to scrap the mixing jar. Lift and tilt the pan, or use an offset spatula to distribute the chocolate evenly. Sprinkle with salt.
Chill again.
To cut, use a warm serrated knife. I highly recommend cutting a grid into the chocolate layer first and then cutting through the bars with a regular knife or metal bench scraper. If you want to be extra fancy, put the knives in very hot water and wipe the blade clean between each cut (not necessary).
These are best eaten cold, either out of the fridge or freezer. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.
Makes 16-25 bars, depending on how they are cut.