Christmas Chocolate Caramel Slice

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line an 8”x8” baking tray with parchment paper.

Begin with the base. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, melted butter, and rolled oats. Press this mixture onto the base of your lined tray. Getting it even is the key here; you might find it handy to use the back of a spoon to smooth it out.

Bake the base for 15-20 minutes, or till it turns a lovely golden color. Don't worry if it's a bit soft; it will firm up as it cools.

While the base is cooking, get on with the caramel. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the condensed milk, maple syrup, and butter. Keep stirring this for about 5-7 minutes until it thickens and turns a deep caramel color. Do keep a close eye on this, it might tend to boil and overflow

Once the base is ready and cooling, pour the hot caramel over it. Let this cool at room temperature, before placing it in the refrigerator to set for about 2 hours.

For the topping, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Alternatively, you can melt it in the microwave, using 30 seconds bursts and stirring in between till smooth.

Finally, pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer and smooth it out. Here, you may sprinkle some sea salt if you like the combination of salty and sweet. Put it back in the fridge to set for another 2 hours.

Once set, remove your cake from the fridge. Warm your knife under hot water and dry it before cutting into squares. This little trick helps you to get smooth cuts.