Gooey Caramel Twix Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, divided
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Table salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup pecans, rough chopped
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 Twix candy bars, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
• 1/3 cup condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 375 degrees F. Fit foil into the base and a couple of sides of an 8- by 8- by 2-inch baking pan, leaving enough extra foil at the edges to help lift the bars out later.
2. For the caramel, combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, and honey in a sturdy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has melted and the liquid comes to a boil. Once it is boiling, quit stirring, then use water to wash any sugar crystals from the inside of the pan. Continue cooking until the caramel is the color of maple syrup.
3. Take the pan off the heat and, without waiting, whisk in the butter, heavy cream, and 1/8 teaspoon salt until smooth. Leave the caramel alone until it has cooled completely.
4. While the caramel cools, prepare the crust. In a food processor, pulse the flour, brown sugar, pinch salt, and butter until the mixture looks like damp crumbs. Press it evenly into the prepared pan, then bake until the surface is pale gold, 20 to 25 minutes. Move the pan to a wire rack and let the crust cool, about 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the pecans, chocolate, and Twix bars across the cooled crust. Measure out 1/2 caramel and set it aside. Mix the condensed milk and vanilla into the caramel that remains, then pour that mixture over the crust. Drop 8 teaspoons of the reserved caramel into the filling by the spoonful, saving any extra caramel for another use.
6. Bake until the filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool the bars fully, about 3 hours. If they still feel too soft at room temperature, refrigerate them until firm. Use the foil to lift the slab from the pan, then cut it into 12 pieces.