Salted Caramel White Chocolate Bars Recipe for Decadent Treats

Creamy, lightly salted with a touch of crunch, these mini Salted Caramelized White Chocolate Bars deliver big flavor with just three ingredients.

It’s already May — time flies. These Salted Caramelized White Chocolate Bars are the perfect little comfort: rich, creamy and satisfying. They’re simple to make and impressive to gift, especially for Mother’s Day or any chocolate lover.

This month is also my birthday month. I don’t usually make a big fuss, but after a few difficult years I’m feeling grateful and ready to celebrate. Expect some cake and treats soon — starting with these bars.

But is white chocolate really chocolate?

It depends on how you define chocolate. White chocolate lacks cocoa solids and instead uses milk solids, but it does contain cocoa butter — the ingredient that gives chocolate its pleasant mouthfeel, shine and snap.

Regulations in some countries require that chocolate contain only cocoa butter as the fat. When cocoa butter is replaced with other fats, the product is often labeled as “chocolate-flavoured” or “compound chocolate” (think candy melts). Many mass-market white chocolates fall short: they can taste chalky, waxy, or overly sweet. But excellent white chocolate exists — smooth, creamy and balanced — from reputable brands.

High-quality white chocolate or blond chocolate will give the best results. Valrhona, Cacao Barry and Green & Black’s make white chocolates that are creamy and well-balanced. If you want to try something special, seek out a blond or caramelized white chocolate like Valrhona Dulcey, or make your own caramelized white chocolate at home from a high-cocoa-butter white chocolate.

Caramelized white chocolate — white chocolate with attitude

Caramelized or “blond” white chocolate has a rich, toasty flavor and a golden hue. If you can find a commercial blond chocolate, use it. If not, you can caramelize a good-quality white chocolate yourself: gently heat it until it develops a deeper color and toasted aroma. Start with a white chocolate that has a high cocoa butter percentage (at least 30%) for the best texture and flavor. I use Valrhona Ivoire 35% for a creamy, lightly sweet profile.

Whether you use store-bought blond chocolate or homemade caramelized white chocolate, tempering (pre-crystallizing) the chocolate will give you shiny, snappy bars. Tempering produces the smooth texture and clean snap that make homemade chocolate feel professional — a lovely gift for someone special.

i sugar coat it!

Salted Caramelized White Chocolate Bars

4.86 from 7 votes

Creamy, lightly salted with a little crunch, these mini Salted Caramelized White Chocolate Bars deliver big on flavour with just three ingredients.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Servings: 28 bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Chocolate

Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

• 300 grams caramelized white chocolate — Dulcey Blond 32% or homemade
• 1 vanilla bean pod, scraped
• Smoked sea salt, to taste
• Organic cacao nibs, as needed

Method

1. Temper the caramelized white chocolate as you would white chocolate: melt and heat to 45ºC, cool (seed or rest) to 26–27ºC, then bring up to a working temperature of 28–29ºC. Stir in the scraped vanilla seeds and a pinch of smoked sea salt.
2. Prepare a chocolate mold and pour (cast) the tempered chocolate into the cavities. Tap the mold to release air bubbles and scrape away any excess chocolate from the surface.
3. Sprinkle the tops with additional smoked sea salt and cacao nibs for texture and contrast. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature until firm.
4. To help the bars release cleanly from the mold, chill in the refrigerator for 5–10 minutes so the chocolate contracts slightly, then unmold and enjoy.