(Yes, I know these are out of order, but due to timing I didn’t get the chance to make the Episode 6 recipe until after I’d made the one for Episode 7.)
Episode 7 of the Great British Baking Show was Caramel week (yum!), and the choices were: a caramel tart, caramel biscuit bars (aka homemade Twix), or a caramel dessert topped with a sugar showpiece. We were tempted by the tart, but the lure of trying to make our own Twix was too strong, so we picked that one.
The challenge: make 10 Caramel Biscuit Bars in 90 minutes.
First, click that link to see how pretty they were *supposed* to look.
Okay, now moving on to what *actually* happened.
Let’s just say that things didn’t go quite to plan. First you make the biscuit base and cut that into the 10 require pieces. Then you make the caramel, which has to be thick enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to pipe. Oops. I ended up having to form the caramel for my cookies by hand. And finally, you melt chocolate and pour it all over the biscuits for a smooth, shiny topping.
I would just like to say, for the record, that not once, in all my years of baking, has this EVER worked for me, but yet every single time a recipe calls for it, I give it a go. I don’t know what it is I’m doing wrong. Maybe I have to spring for the fancy chocolate instead of just the stuff at the grocery store (it doesn’t matter if I use chocolate chips or slabs of baking chocolate – it’s always the same result), or maybe I’m not heating it long enough, or maybe I haven’t sacrificed enough confectionary to the pastry gods, but….well.
Here they are, ten lovely little cookies that unfortunately look a bit like what I might scoop out of the litter box. I didn’t even bother with the piped design on the top because I think we can all agree that there was no saving the appearance.
It was small comfort that my sister’s turned out equally poop-adjacent. Ah well. At least they ended up super tasty, and it was fun to give the recipe a try, although if I ever in the future get a craving for a Twix I think I’ll just save the effort and buy one at the checkout line.
‘Tis the season for Holidailies.
I knew where it was going (because I have seen people try this sort of thing before) and yet that picture was *still* a delight!
It’s a little like Christmas Crack, isn’t it? Only that the cookies are cookies and not saltines (upon which the Brits would frown endlessly).
I grew up in the US and now live in the UK. Saltines didn’t exist here until about five years ago. And they’re called Doria Doriano Italian Crackers and very few people even know about them, so fewer frowns and more bafflement! I was so happy when they appeared though!
It’s brilliant! You make these for a party, no one tries them because of their poop-adjacent look, and that’s more for you while still looking like a generous host. Win-win.