Millionaire’s Shortbread
Buttery shortbread topped with a thick layer of chewy caramel, smooth chocolate ganache and a scattering of salt flakes. Batch yield: 16 layered squares from one 20 × 20 cm tin. One serving: 1 square, approximately 5 × 5 cm and 95 g after baking, caramel cooking and cooling. Allow approximately 5 hours 40 minutes overall: 310 non-oven minutes plus 30 oven minutes. The non-oven time includes 55 minutes of active work, including hob cooking and finishing; 30 minutes for butter softening; 75 minutes of cooling and tempering; and 150 minutes of refrigeration. Preheating overlaps base preparation and is not added again. The base cools before the caramel is made, so no overlapping cooling is double-counted. A warmer kitchen or less powerful refrigerator may require longer cooling or chilling. Appliances: Oven; Electric hand mixer; Hob; Refrigerator. Equipment: 20 × 20 cm square metal baking tin, at least 5 cm deep; Baking parchment; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring spoons; Mixing bowl; Heatproof bowl; Heavy-based saucepan; Small saucepan; Digital sugar thermometer; Heatproof spatula; Fork; Cooling rack; Knife; Chopping board. Allergens: Butter, condensed milk and cream contain milk; plain flour contains wheat and gluten. Chocolate may contain soy lecithin, so check its label. Nutrition is estimated per one of 16 squares; rounded macros provide approximately 448 kcal using 4 kcal/g for protein and carbohydrate and 9 kcal/g for fat. Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, separating stacked squares with baking parchment. For a softer texture, let an individual square stand out for 10–15 minutes before eating. Keep at cool room temperature for no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot conditions. Freeze individual squares in a sealed container for up to 2 months; thaw covered overnight in the refrigerator.
310 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
16
Serves
448
Calories
Macros · per serving
5g protein
54g carbs
24g fat
Ingredients
For 16 servings
- 200 g Unsalted butter, for the shortbread
- 80 g Caster sugar
- 260 g Plain all-purpose flour
- 2 g Fine sea salt, for the shortbread
- 5 ml Vanilla extract, for the shortbread
- 396 g Sweetened condensed milk
- 100 g Unsalted butter, for the caramel
- 150 g Light brown sugar
- 60 ml Golden syrup
- 2 g Fine sea salt, for the caramel
- 5 ml Vanilla extract, for the caramel
- 240 g Semisweet chocolate, approximately 50–60% cocoa
- 80 ml Heavy whipping cream
- 1 g Flaked sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Cut the 200 g shortbread butter into small cubes and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until pliable but not oily. Keep the caramel butter separate.
- 2
Allow about 20 minutes for preparing the base. Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional / 350°F, or 160°C fan. Line a 20 × 20 cm square metal tin, at least 5 cm deep, with baking parchment extending above two opposite sides. Using an electric hand mixer on low to medium speed, mix the softened butter and caster sugar for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy, rather than very fluffy. Mix in the shortbread vanilla and fine salt. Add the flour and mix on low just until damp clumps form.
- 3
Press all the dough evenly into the tin, including the corners, and prick lightly with a fork. Bake on the middle shelf for 30 minutes, until the surface looks dry and pale golden and the edges are a little darker. There is only one oven batch. Do not taste the unbaked dough because it contains raw flour.
- 4
Place the tin on a cooling rack and leave the shortbread to cool completely, about 45 minutes. Keep it in the tin.
- 5
Allow about 20 minutes to make the caramel. Put the condensed milk, 100 g caramel butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and caramel fine salt in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat gently on the hob, stirring and scraping the base and corners, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Bring to a steady, gentle bubble over medium-low heat and cook, stirring continuously, until thick and golden and a sugar thermometer reads 112–114°C / 234–237°F, usually another 8–12 minutes. Keep the thermometer tip clear of the pan base. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the caramel vanilla; hot caramel can spit and cause burns.
- 6
Immediately spread the caramel evenly over the cooled shortbread. Leave at room temperature for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for 60 minutes, until the caramel is cool and firm enough to support the chocolate.
- 7
Allow about 10 minutes to prepare the topping. Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan on the hob until steaming with tiny bubbles around the edge; do not boil vigorously. Pour over the chocolate, leave for 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth. If a few pieces remain, set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir briefly until melted, keeping the bowl above the water.
- 8
Let the ganache cool for 5 minutes, until still spreadable but no longer hot. Spread it evenly over the chilled caramel and scatter all the flaked sea salt over the surface. Refrigerate for 90 minutes, until the chocolate topping is set.
- 9
Let the slab stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Lift it out using the parchment, place on a chopping board and peel away the paper. Cut into a 4 × 4 grid to make 16 squares, wiping the knife between cuts. Allow about 5 minutes in total for spreading the topping and cutting the finished slab.
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