caramel macadamia slice

Lovely Wee Days has been having a bit of a blogging break of late, as we've all been off enjoying the sunshine on our respective holidays. However yesterday we had a LWDs reunion, as Becs, Libby and their family stopped in to visit my family on their way to the beach.

Such an occasion called for a trial of a new recipe. My brother David does some volunteer work for Red Cross, and his Christmas present from them was the 'New Zealand Red Cross Cookbook'. The baking recipes in the book are mostly the standard fare - melting moments, shortbread, ginger crunch etc. But the Caramel Macadamia Slice took my fancy as it wasn't one I was familiar with.

The slice was easy to make (particularly as the caramel is made in the microwave) and was enjoyed by all. The caramel filling is similar to Russian fudge and with lots of macadamias it's hard to go wrong with this one. I think it will now become a firm favourite in the baking repertoire.

Caramel Macadamia Slice
150g butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups flour, sifted
1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
75g butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
70g macadamias, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 18x 28cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, then fold in the flour until evenly combined (the mixture should be crumbly).
3. Press three-quarters of the mixture into the base of the prepared tin.
4. Place the condensed milk, butter, sugar and golden syrup in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until the butter has melted. Stir, then cook for 2-4 mins until thick. Poor the caramel over the base.
5. Mix the macadamias through the remaining flour mixture and sprinkle over the caramel. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden.
6. Cool in the tin before cutting into pieces.