Contest Winner! Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Squares (a.k.a. Millionaire’s Shortbread)
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With a layer of shortbread, a layer of soft caramel and a layer of chocolate, these bars taste like gourmet Twix bars.
Thanks to all who participated in my holiday cookie contest! I received many wonderful family recipes but, in the end, these Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Squares of Scottish origin won me over. Known as Millionaire’s Shortbread, presumably because they are so rich, they consist of a layer of crumbly shortbread, a layer of soft caramel and a layer of chocolate. To me, they taste just like gourmet Twix bars. Congrats to Carrie H. of Rockville, MD, who submitted the recipe!
Other cookies submitted were wonderful too, particularly Dianne’s Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch with Sea Salt and Amy’s Snickerdoodles. I’ll be sharing these recipes on the site soon. (2-Tier Server by Julia Knight)
What you’ll need to make the shortbread squares
How to make them
Begin by making the shortbread layer. Simply combine all of the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
Blitz to blend, then add the butter in chunks.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, then add the ice water and egg yolk.
Pulse until the dough comes together in wet clumps.
Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press into an even layer.
Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, make the caramel by combining the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, golden syrup, vanilla and salt in a medium sauce pan.
Cook until the caramel is smooth and thickened, and the temperature reaches 225 degrees.
Immediately pour the caramel over the crust and let set for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze by combining the chocolate pieces and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl.
Cook in 20-second intervals, so as not to scorch the chocolate, stirring in between, until the chocolate is smooth and creamy. Spread the melted chocolate over the set caramel.
Chill the bars for about an hour, or until the chocolate is completely set.
Then lift the bars out of the pan and cut into small squares.
Note: You’ll need a candy thermometer for this recipe to measure the temperature of the caramel. You can find one at any kitchen supply store. Don’t be intimated to use it; it’s easy!
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Millionaire's Shortbread
With a layer of shortbread, a layer of soft caramel and a layer of chocolate, these bars taste like gourmet Twix bars.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon ice water
- 1 large egg yolk
For the Caramel Layer
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (such as Lyle's Golden Syrup) or dark corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Generous pinch salt
For the Chocolate Layer
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces, best quality
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, pushing the foil neatly into the corners and up the sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure that the foil overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal from the pan). Spray the foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the flour, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt; process until well combined and no lumps of brown sugar remain. Add the butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add the ice water and egg yolk and blend until moist clumps form. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press with your fingers into an even layer (dust your fingers with flour if the dough is too sticky). Pierce the dough all over with a fork and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For Caramel Layer
- Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, golden syrup, vanilla and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and boil gently, whisking constantly, until the caramel is thick and the temperature registers 225 degrees°F, about 6 minutes. Pour the caramel over the warm crust; cool for about 15 minutes, or until caramel is set.
For Chocolate Layer
- Place the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is about 75% melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the remaining chocolate, until smooth (if necessary, place the chocolate back in the microwave for a few more; just be sure not to overheat or the mixture will curdle). Spread the chocolate over the caramel layer. Refrigerate the bars until the chocolate is set, at least 1 hour. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into small squares and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Note: The shortbread layer will crumble a bit when you cut it; that's just the nature of it.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (25 servings)
- Calories: 174
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 54 mg
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I grew up on these things in the west coast of Scotland. A few observations. The shortbread recipe is not the original. Shortbread has only butter, sugar, and flour. No self respecting Scot is adding ground almonds. The caramel part is good. The chocolate should be a good quality one. Most of the people where I lived melted Cadbury’s milk chocolate bars. Overall this is a decent version, if not absolutely authentic. Also the reason they are called “millionaires shortbread” is not because they taste “rich” it is because for the average family these were a once in a while treat. Plain shortbread is cheap, just flour sugar and butter. Only rich people could afford the added ingredients
Jenn, I couldn’t find the link for:
Dianne’s Dark Chocolate Buttercrunch with Sea Salt you reference. Can you please provide it?
Hi Donna, You can find it here.
These didn’t turn out as well as I was hoping. I wasn’t able to achieve the nice clear layers, and the caramel was a little squishy. They still tasted yummy though!
These were great. For me, there needed to be more chocolate to balance the caramel. I could hardly taste the chocolate in comparison. But, still, it was easy and very good. Unfortunately, I didn’t win the recipe contest, though. Lol
Sorry my dear, but what you have here is a ‘cookie’ crust. True shortbread is 3 ingredients – flour, sugar, butter, period. If you are adding brown sugar and eggs or yolk, it is no longer shortbread. True ‘Millionaire’s Shortbread’ calls for a shortbread crust, not a cookie crust. 1 star for a misleading name.
Not misleading at all! Millionaires can afford more ingredients!😂. Delicious!
Fabulous! Second time making this month. Thank you.
Not a millionaires best in my book. Just didn’t meet my expectations.
I have a family member who is corn sensitive – could arrowroot be substituted for cornstarch. (I know Lyle’s Golden syrup is corn free)/
Actually Anne, You can just leave the cornstarch out and add 2 more tsp. of flour to the crust mixture.
I am looking forward to making this in the next couple of days…Would I be able to use an 8″ square pan instead of 9″? If so, would I need to adjust amount of time for cooking? Thanks.
Hi Wendy, Sure, you can use an 8-inch pan. You may need to add another minute or two to the baking time for each layer, but just keep an eye on it. Enjoy
This recipe is brilliant, thank you Carrie H! Thanks so much for sharing, Jenn! Your blog is amazing – if you ever decided to publish your own cookbook, I´ll be happy to buy!