With the coming of the hot weeks of September, a truly decadent treat is needed to help get you through the heat. What better way than to take a classic ingredient, caramel, and find a way to turn up the volume? With a little bit of time, you can make a dessert cookie that will really wow your diners. Here's what you'll need:

- 2 1/8 cup all purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 sticks of butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 10 ounces of caramels
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- Sea salt (yes, it needs to be sea salt)

Note: This recipe will make approximately 3 dozen bars

To begin, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and spray a glass 11x7 baking dish. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda, then set aside. In a larger bowl, combine the melted butter with the light brown and granulated sugars. After, add in the egg and then the egg yolk, finishing with the vanilla. Use a mixer to combine the ingredients, mixing for 1-2 minutes. Add in the dry ingredients in thirds until fully combined, mixing just until the dry have been absorbed. After, mix in the chocolate chips and set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl (or a double boiler), melt together the caramels and cream in 20-second intervals, stirring at the end of each session (should take approximately 2 minutes to fully melt the caramels). Separate your dough in two, taking half of your mix and pressing it into the bottom of your greased baking dish (use your hands, it's fun!). Next, pour the caramel mixture over the base, and then sprinkle with sea salt (don't overdo the salt, just give a few sprinkles across the entire layer). Next, spoon out the rest of the dough and smooth it over the top of the caramel layer, finishing with a few extra sprinkles of sea salt. Place in your preheated oven and bake for approximately 30-minutes, turning halfway through. Once done, let cool to room temperature, then cut into bars, and store in an airtight container.

Salt and caramel go together quite well, with each bringing out the deeper flavors of the other. And by making cookies in bar form, they're easy to keep uniform in shape and size, so that all of your diners receive the same treats. To help ready more tasty flavor combinations, the kitchen will be staying open late. Care to place an order?

Want to know what this challenge is all about? Check out my journal and feel free to send in recipes for cookies! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3096204/