Crunch Bars with Popcorn and Pretzels

Bon Appétit (December 2012)

'Tis the season for sweets. Ever since Thanksgiving, it seems like we've never been more than arm's reach from a tempting treat or confection -- at parties, at the office, at the bank. There was a plate of cookies at the gym one day last week, for Pete's sake.

Nevertheless, we wanted to try out these Crunch Bars. (Oh, the lengths we go to for you Bittens....)

This is a recipe from Dorie Greenspan, whom we love. And like a lot of her recipes, it's really more of a great blueprint than a specific, set recipe. You build a cookie dough base, cover it with a layer of chocolate, and then top it off with ... basically, anything. Whatever sweet or salty treats you like. The magazine suggests things like crushed candy canes, pistachios, almonds, cocoa nibs, toasted coconut or popcorn. (Basically, this is a Compost Cookie approach to a crunch bar. No complaints here!)

We loved the look of the magazine's bars topped with popcorn, so we stuck with that. We also added crushed pretzels for salty crunch.

Perhaps that was our mistake...

Because the truth is, we weren't huge fans of these Crunch Bars. Since the cookie base and chocolate layer are so basic, these crunch bars are really all about the toppings. And the popcorn -- which did look cool -- just wasn't that terrific. Unseasoned (again, our error), it just sort of ... sat there on the top of the bars. And the pretzels we used weren't that great either. They were already very thin, but we should have crushed them smaller than we did. As it was, the textures just didn't work very well together, either with each other or with the bar base itself.

Something with more of a flavor punch would have been better. We do like the idea of coconut, or crushed peanuts would be tasty. Or honestly, just topped with a bit more sea salt. And, yeah, we have to say we love the notion of crushed candy canes (which also would look beautiful).

So, a bit of a bust for us. But this is a case where we're definitely blaming our choices, and not the recipe itself.

This would be a knockout recipe to make with kids. Letting them choose the toppings at the store, and then letting them go to town with a mallet or rolling pin to crush them, would be super fun.

Just choose your toppings wisely. 

 

 

Crunch Bars
Bon Appétit (December 2012) 
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(This photo: Chris Craymer/Bon Appétit)

Makes about 26

NOTES FROM ZACH AND CLAY

We opted to top our crunch bars with pretzels. We chose Peppridge Farms Baked Naturals "Simply Pretzel Thins" because they were, well, thin. 

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Base

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for dish
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Topping

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate or high-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
1-1 1/2 cups assorted toppings, such as cocoa nibs, crushed candy, toasted chopped almonds and pistachios, lightly toasted coconut, and popcorn
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

DIRECTIONS

Cookie Base

Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Line the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2 inches metal or glass baking dish with foil, allowing 2 inches overhang on either side; butter foil in dish.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat 1 cup butter in a large bowl until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add both sugars and salt; continue to beat until mixture is light and creamy, about 3 minutes longer. Beat in vanilla, then slowly mix in flour, beating until entirely incorporated (dough will be wet and sticky).

Scrape dough into prepared dish. Using your fingertips, spread into a thin, even layer.

Bake cookie base until it is golden brown and has begun to puff and crack, about 22 minutes. DO AHEAD: Base can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool completely and store airtight at room temperature.

Topping

Preheat oven to 375°. Scatter chopped chocolate evenly over cookie base and bake just until chocolate is soft and has begun to melt, about 2 minutes. Immediately spread chocolate in an even layer over base.

Scatter toppings over warm chocolate; lightly but firmly press into chocolate. Sprinkle with salt. Let cool in dish on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift cookie from dish. Place on rack; let cool until chocolate is set, about 2 hours.

Carefully remove foil from cookie and slide onto a cutting board. Cut into bars. DO AHEAD: Crunch Bars can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.