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Yesterday we were at a loss as to what we should make on our "baking day". Yash wanted chocolate and I wanted something biscuity, so we put our heads together and suddenly the answer came to us; Millionaires Shortbread. I like to add salt to this to offset the sweetness of the caramel.
As young Mr Nihaal woke up soon after we got started, these were still setting in the fridge at teatime so we actually cut and ate them today. Well they were definitely worth waiting for. Crumbly shortbread, salty silky caramel and a mix of milk and dark chocolate on top. Absolutely delicious. We decided to make this in a small loaf tin as our traybake tins are huge, and as we can't share our treats I thought we should scale the recipe down. Nope, not regretting that decision at all....
My recipe is for a 10cm x 20cm loaf tin so you may want to scale this up as it gave us 8 small squares and would yield 6 generous portions.
You will need:
For the base:
40g caster sugar
95g softened salted butter (or unsalted plus a pinch of salt)
125g plain flour
For the caramel:
200g granulated sugar
100g butter
100ml double cream
1 tsp salt
(NB. The caramel making process is done at high heat and requires vigorous stirring. It is best done at a distance from children and left to cool well out of their reach.) If you cannot safely make this, good quality Salted Caramel can be bought from supermarkets and this would make a good substitution.)
for the topping:
100g of milk chocolate,
100g of dark chocolate
pinch of flaked sea salt
Method:
1. Start by preheating your oven to 180 degrees c (160 fan).
2. Stir your butter vigorously until it is soft and whippy. Add the sugar and mix until fully incorporated, and fluffy. Add the flour in 2 stages and bring together, with a wooden spoon or knead by hand.
3. Line your baking tin and press your dough into the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges turn golden in colour. Be sure to set an alarm.
4. While your shortbread is baking, you can prepare the caramel. A large saucepan should be used for this as it requires quite vigorous stirring and the caramel could burn if it spills out. Stir the sugar on a medium until it melts into a smooth liquid. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Ignore the clumps, they will soon melt into the rest of the sauce.
5. When the sugar has fully melted, remove your pan from the heat and add the butter in small cubes. Stir vigorously, being sure to incorporate both butter and sugar together. Once these have come together and are a dark golden colour, you can slowly add the cream. Return to a low heat and stir until you reach the desired thickness. Once you have a smooth caramel, finally add a teaspoon measure of salt. Leave to cool, alongside your shortbread which should be out of the oven by now.
6. Once your shortbread and caramel have cooled, pour the caramel on top of the shortbread and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. This is important as it needs to set in order for the chocolate to maintain a separate layer on top of it.
7. Melt your chocolate in a microwavable bowl, or in a bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Check that your caramel has hardened, and once it has, pour the chocolate on top. Return to the fridge. After 20 minutes, add flaked sea salt to the top of the chocolate. Leave your millionaires shortbread to set fully for a further hour.
Happy baking xx
