Holiday Bar Box

BROWNIE LAYER

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, letting the excess extend over the sides of the pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
4. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes. Test the brownies with a toothpick at the 30-minute mark. Insert it into the center of the pan; if it comes out with wet batter, the brownies are not done. If there are only a few moist crumbs, the brownies are done. Keep checking every 2 minutes until you have moist crumbs. Allow brownies to cool completely to room temperature in the pan before proceeding.

PEPPERMINT FILLING

1. Place powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, and vanilla bean paste in a medium bowl. Add 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of boiling water, and stir until incorporated. (It should resemble a thick paste). Add additional boiling water 1 teaspoon (5 grams) at a time, if needed, to help get to correct consistency.
2. Immediately top the cooled brownie layer with the peppermint filling. Use a damp offset spatula to help smooth the peppermint filling into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE TOPPING

1. In the top of a double boiler, combine chocolate and butter. Cook over simmering water, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
2. Immediately top the chilled, set peppermint filling layer with the chocolate topping. Slam pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter to release any air bubbles. Refrigerate until topping is set, about 2 hours.
3. Using excess parchment as handles, remove from the pan and cut into bars. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

1. Line a 9 x 9–inch (22 x 22–cm) pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set it aside.
2. Place the butter in a light-colored skillet. (The light-colored skillet will help you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, the butter will start to foam. Keep stirring. After 5 to 8 minutes, the butter will begin browning; you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan, and you’ll start to smell a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from the heat, then stir in the salt and vanilla.
3. Working quickly, add half of the marshmallows and stir until thoroughly melted. Add the remaining marshmallows and stir until melted. (The residual heat from the butter should be enough to melt them without adding the heat, but you can return the pot to medium-low heat for a few minutes if the second addition of marshmallows isn’t melting quickly.) Note: After you add the marshmallows, keep the heat on low or below medium-low. If your marshmallow is exposed to heat that’s too high, you’ll end up with treats hard enough to break your teeth!
4. Add the cereal and about ¾ of the sprinkles and gently fold in with a rubber spatula coated in nonstick cooking spray until the cereal is completely covered with the marshmallow mixture. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Using the rubber spatula, gently press the mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles on top.
5. Let the treats stand at room temperature until set, about 1 hour, before cutting into bars. The treats can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Grease an 8"x8" (20cm x 20cm) square cake pan and then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment paper then set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for about a minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until lighter in colour, about 4 minutes (I used a handheld electric mixer). Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. 
4. Gently fold in the sprinkles and the white chocolate chips until evenly incorporated. Transfer the batter to the pan and top with the 1 teaspoon rainbow sprinkles. 
5. Bake until the top and edges are set and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the blondies to cool in the pan for 45 minutes before removing and slicing. 
6. Cover and store leftover blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Grease a 9" x 9" (23cm square) tin, and line with two pieces of parchment paper, so that there is paper sticking out of the tin on all sides, forming a 'sling'.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Add the brown sugar and rolled oats, and mix well to combine.
3. In a small pot, melt together the butter, golden syrup and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients, and mix well. Press the mixture into the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden on the edges. Five minutes before the base is done, prepare the topping.
4. For the topping, add all of the ingredients to a medium pot in the order listed. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour over the hot base, and leave to set at room temperature until set. Slice into pieces with a hot knife.
5. Store in an airtight container. Can be kept in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before eating.

ESPRESSO CARAMEL

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the granulated sugar, stirring with a high heat–resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn it!
2. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes, immediately add the butter and stir until melted, about 2 minutes. (Be careful with this step, because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.) Very slowly drizzle in the heavy cream while stirring. Allow the mixture to boil for 30 to 45 seconds, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the espresso powder and salt and set it aside until needed. 

CARMELITAS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray an 8 x 8–inch (20 x 20–cm) pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the pan with parchment paper with an overhang on two sides. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, light brown sugar, vanilla, flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Stir everything together with a fork. Press half of the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the top evenly with the chocolate chips and pecans, and then with the espresso caramel. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for 18 to 20 minutes, just until the edges are lightly browned.
4. Remove from the oven. Cool in the pan on a wire rack at least 3 hours before removing and cutting into bars. Cover and store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

BROWN BUTTER

1. Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes.
2. Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool slightly, then transfer the bowl to the freezer and chill the butter until solid. Remove from the freezer and bring to room temperature, stirring often, until soft and spreadable.

BROWN BUTTER SHORTBREAD BASE

1. Preheat the oven to 325°f / 165°c. Grease an 8” (20cm) square pan and line with two pieces of parchment paper that extend over the sides of the pan to use as handles.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the spreadable brown butter and brown sugar using a spoon or spatula. Add the salt, vanilla, and flour, and bring together to form a soft, homogenous dough. Pat the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing down with a flat bottomed measuring cup or offset spatula. Prick all over and chill for 10 minutes.
3. Bake the base for 30 to 35 minutes, until set and evenly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

BROWN BUTTER SALTED CARAMEL FILLING

1. Place the Sweetened Condensed Milk, brown sugar, brown butter and golden syrup in a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan.
2. Place over a medium heat and stir until melted together, then cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula (I like to use a whisk then switch to the rubber spatula), until the mixture registers 220°f / 105°c on a candy thermometer. Watch the bottom carefully to avoid the mixture catching, turning down the heat if needed.
3. Once the caramel has reached the correct temperature, add the vanilla and salt, mix well to incorporate, and pour it over the cooled shortbread base and smooth off by shaking the pan and using an offset spatula if needed. Transfer to the fridge and allow to set for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until you can no longer feel heat in it.

CHOCOLATE TOPPING

1. In a heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and the oil, stirring frequently, until smooth. Alternatively, melt together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well after each.
2. Pour over the set caramel filling, and tilt the pan to evenly coat. Bang the pan on the counter several times to smooth out the topping and eliminate any bubbles. If you would like to add the feathering, pipe horizontal stripes of the melted white chocolate across the surface, then feather using a skewer by dragging it up and down the surface of the chocolate, perpendicular to the lines that you piped.
3. Chill in the fridge until completely set, at least an hour or up to overnight. Remove from the pan by using the parchment paper slings. cut into slices using a sharp knife, wiping between each. Store in an airtight container.