Millionaire's Shortbread Bars Tested Recipe

Millionaire's Shortbread Bars Recipe

This popular British shortbread consists of three delicious layers; a buttery shortbread, a smooth caramel, and a shiny layer of melted chocolate. Biting into one of these delectable bars is like enjoying both a cookie and a candy bar at the same time. In fact, Millionaire's Shortbread Bars taste remarkably like a Twix candy bar.

This confection starts with a baked shortbread base which is topped with a layer of creamy caramel. Now, there are two ways to make the caramel. Recipes in the past called for making your own by cooking a can of sweetened condensed milk until thick and caramel colored. This is definitely an option but a much simpler way is to use a product called Dulce de Leche. Dulce de Leche (also known as Cajeta, Arequipe, Manjar, and Confiture de Lait) is Spanish for "sweet of milk" or "milk candy" and is basically boiled milk and sugar. It is a delicious tasting spread with a beautiful caramel color and flavor and can be found in some grocery stores, specialty food stores or online. If you use the Dulce de Leche, all you have to do is heat the caramel and pour it over the baked shortbread base. If you make your own caramel from sweetened condensed milk, once it has cooked all you need to do is beat it until smooth and then, again, pour it over the baked shortbread base.

The finishing touch, the chocolate layer, is semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate that is melted with a little butter to help keep the chocolate shiny, even when refrigerated. For this recipe, because chocolate is one of the more dominant flavors, make sure to use a good quality chocolate that you enjoy eating out-of-hand. When choosing a chocolate, always look for one that has a lovely shiny finish (a sign that the chocolate was cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time) and one that has that wonderful 'snap' when you break it into pieces. Once the melted chocolate is poured over the caramel layer and has been left to set, cut the shortbread into bars with a sharp knife. Do this before you refrigerate the shortbread bars as cold chocolate does not cut well. If you can resist I find it best to make these bars at least a day before serving to give the flavors time to soften and mingle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grease with butter (or use a cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan.

FOR SHORTBREAD: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden in color. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

FOR CARAMEL FILLING: If using Dulce de Leche then simply warm the caramel in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. If using sweetened condensed milk, pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 60 to 90 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has turned a caramel color. Remove from heat and beat until smooth. Pour the caramel over the baked shortbread and leave to set.

Note: You can also do this step in a microwave oven. Place the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Reduce the powder to medium-low and continue to cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the milk has thicken and has turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth.

FOR TOPPING: Melt the chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the caramel and leave to set. Cut the shortbread into pieces using a sharp knife.

Store the shortbread in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and firm.

Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) squares

References:

Berry, Mary. 'Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book'. BBC Books. London: 1994.

Deseine, Trish. 'Caramel'. Whitecap Books Ltd. North Vancouver: 2005.

Lawrence, Sue. 'Sue Lawrence's Book of Baking'. Headline Book Publishing. London: 2004.

Lawson, Nigella. 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'. Hyperion. New York: 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_de_leche

SHORTBREAD:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

CARAMEL FILLING:

1 - 14 ounce (396 grams) can Dulce de Leche or sweetened condensed milk

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon unsalted butter