Millionaire Shortbread Bars

Do you have a family recipe that takes forever to make so you only make it for special occasions?  Something so good that it's worth all the time and effort you put into it?  Well for us, that's what millionaire shortbread bars are.  We've made them a few times in the past, but this year we approached making them with the patience and diligence of a more seasoned baker and they turned out better than ever.  What's in a millionaire shortbread?  It's three layers: shortbread on the bottom, caramel in the middle & chocolate on top.  What's not to love about that?

Why is this recipe so time-consuming?  You have to make each layer individually and allow them to cool in between.  This is so crucial - why our batch turned out the best this time is because we took each layer one at a time and allowed the bake enough time to cool in between the layers.  The result: crisp & flaky shortbread, gooey caramel that is firm enough to keep its shape, but soft enough to bite into, and a creamy chocolate topping.  We even topped out chocolate with a touch of salt to enhance the flavors, which I highly recommend.  While this recipe is far from a healthy bake, it is one of the most decadent and delicious desserts I've ever eaten.  We made it a point to share some with Ryan's brother & his girlfriend because we were afraid to have too much around the house, but also didn't want to give away too much because it's just that good!

We've made a few different recipes of millionaire shortbreads, but this year's version came to us via instagram.  We had been wathcing the Great British Baking show and they made millionaire shortbreads in an episode, which inspired us to make them again. Then, just a few days later I saw a post with a recipe for millionaire shortbreads and saw it as a sign that we needed to make them ASAP.  I saved that recipe and we used it to create these delicious bars.  See below or click here for the full recipe.

Total Time: 4 1/2 hours

Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients:

For the Shortbread:

1 1/4 cups salted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

For the Caramel:

1 cup salted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

For the Chocolate:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  
2. Line a 9x9" baking pan with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl , cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 60 seconds.  Add egg yolk and vanilla and stir until combined.
4. Add flour and sea salt and stir until mixture comes together into large crumbs.  Press the mixture into the baking pan in an even layer.  Gently poke the top all over with a fork
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sides are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool while you make the caramel.
6. To make the caramel, put the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk and sea salt in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the caramel reaches 225-235° F on a thermometer, stirring frequently.  This should take about 30-40 minutes and the caramel should start to thicken and pull away from the sides of the sauce pan as you stir.
7. When the caramel is finished cooking, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Immediately pour over cooled shortbread and place in the refrigerator to cool.  Chill for 30-60 minutes until set.
8. Once the caramel is firm, make the chocolate topping.  In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to bubble around the edges.
9. Reduce heat to low and add chocolate.  Whist until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
10. Remove from heat and pour over firm chocolate.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set before cutting into squares and enjoying.