Millionaire’s Shortbread (Salted Caramel Bars)
This melt-in-your-mouth dessert—highlighted by glossy chocolate and chewy caramel over crisp shortbread—is a total knockout for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Yields: 32 Bars
Active Time: 45m
Total Time: 2hrs
INGREDIENTS:
For the shortbread layer:
12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ c. (100g) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
For the caramel layer:
¾ c. packed light brown sugar
⅓ c. sweetened condensed milk
¼ c. Lyle’s Golden Syrup (highly recommended, see note for substitute)
10 Tbsp (1 stick + 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the chocolate layer
10 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
Flaky salt, such as Maldon
RECIPE:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease an 8x8 square baking pan, and lay a piece of parchment paper down just wide enough to cover the bottom, but long enough that it hangs over two opposite edges. This forms a sling that will make it much easier for you to remove the final product from the pan with. Or grease it your way, they’re your bars.
Make the shortbread layer: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Sift in the flour and salt, and mix until evenly combined and the texture of wet sand. Tip mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly into an even layer. Bake until dry and light golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
Make the caramel layer: In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, condensed milk, golden syrup, and butter over medium heat. Cook, stirring very often, until butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer, and cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and turns to a rich, glossy caramel color, about 10-to-12 minutes or until it reads 220-225F on an instant read thermometer. This can burn very easily, so be sure to keep stirring and scraping the bottom to keep from scorching. Turn off the heat and mix in the vanilla extract. Immediately pour caramel over the cooled crust and spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula.
Make the chocolate layer: in a double boiler, melt chocolate while stirring often. Once fully melted and pourable, immediately spread chocolate in an even layer over the caramel. Top with flaky salt.
Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill until chocolate is set, at least 30 minutes. Remove finished product from the baking dish, using a paring knife to cut from the edges if it’s giving you trouble. Run a sharp knife under hot water and slice into 32 small bars. If you’re getting to much smoosh to get clean bars, you can try freezing it for 15 minutes to get a more solid product. They will keep up to one week in an airtight container, if you can keep them around that long. Enjoy!
HELPFUL NOTES:
Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a British confection made from cane sugar with a unique and delicious flavor that’s hard to describe, almost like a mixture of honey and molasses (but those are not substitutes!). It can be found in most large grocery stores, but if you need a substitute, the best is light corn syrup. You will lose the unique flavor that Lyle’s brings to the table, but they will still be excellent bars!
