Homemade chocolate bar with cookie and caramel pieces

Ingredients:

Chocolate

• 2 packages of 280g dark chocolate granules
• 10 speculoos cookies, broken into pieces
• 0.5 cup sorghum caramel (see recipe below), room temperature
• A generous pinch of coarse sea salt (enough to cover the entire bar)

Sorghum caramel

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup sorghum syrup, such as Bourbon Barrel Foods Pure Cane Sorghum (see note)
• 110 g unsalted butter
• 1 can (400 g) of condensed milk with sugar
• Special equipment: parchment paper or silicone baking mat

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 165°F (76°C). Line the back of a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Place the chocolate chips in a stainless steel bowl and place in the oven. Heat the chocolate until the chips hold their shape but melt when touched, 8-12 minutes. The chocolate must melt without heating up, otherwise it will ruin the chocolate. Stir until smooth and shiny.
3. Pour the melted chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it evenly into a 0.3 cm thick rectangle. Sprinkle with cookies and drizzle with sorghum caramel. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Carefully lift the baking sheet and tap it on the counter a couple of times. Let the chocolate cool at room temperature, about 1 hour. Break the chocolate bar into 7-8 cm pieces.

4. Sorghum caramel:

   
   Fill the glass with ice water and set it aside.
   
5. Combine the sugar, sorghum syrup, and butter in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter melts, 3-5 minutes. Add the condensed milk, bring to a boil, and cook for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the caramel reaches the soft-ball stage (test by dropping a small amount of caramel into a glass of ice water) or reaches 230°F (115°C) on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. Let the caramel sit for 5 minutes before using.
   
   

   Note

   
   Sorghum syrup is made from the sweet juice of sorghum, a type of grain. It is used as a sweetener in baked goods. You can find sorghum syrup in health food stores or specialty online retailers.