A dairy based caramel from France, A shortbread from Scotland and a name like Millionaire Shortbread Bars – Swooning yet? Although no one seems to know where it originated from, Millionaire shortbread bars are a treat worthy of those ‘supposed’ million calories.
This month’s theme for Creative cookie Exchange was Caramel and I immediately thought of making Millionaire’s shortbread. I love anything caramel. I know I have said many times I don’t have a sweet tooth. But for caramel I always make an exception. These were cookies I was making for me. And so I was making the best use of my cheat day and load up on all the goodness I could.
There are multiple components for the Millionaire’s shortbread, but it is not a very difficult treat to make. This time I went on a tangent and instead of using just milk chocolate for the top layer, I used white chocolate and some milk chocolate for a swirly effect. Since white chocolate is a tad bit sweeter you may want to use this only if you are sure you like it really sweet.
The theme this month is Caramel–any kind of caramel in any kind of cookie! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links. Please be patient though, as this month Laura is off to Italy and will not be checking email quite as often!
You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes–be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
- Basement Brownies from Sidewalk Shoes
- Camel Milk Caramel Basbousa from Food Lust People Love
- Caramel Cashew Cookies from Our Good Life
- Caramel Coconut Cookies from Basic N Delicious
- Caramel Shortbread Cookie Strips from Magnolia Days
- Caramel Thumbprint Cookies from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
- Caramelized White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies from Baking Yummies
- Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars from The Spiced Life
- Chocolate Caramel Rocks from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Chocolate Walnut Caramel Stuffed Cookies from Noshing with the Nolands
- Eggless Vanilla-Caramel Biscotti from What Smells So Good?
- Millionaire Shortbread Bars from Spiceroots
- Salted Caramel Butter Cookies from SimplyVeggies
- Salted Caramel Macarons from A Baker’s House
- Take 5 Caramel Oatmeal Cookies from 2 Cookin’ Mamas
Millionaire Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
For Shortbread
- 125 g butter softened
- 50 g sugar
- 170 g plain flour
For Caramel
- 1 Can condensed milk
Chocolate Layer
- 200 g white chocolate
- 2- 3 Tbs semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the Shortbread
- Line an 8” square pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350*F. Cream together the butter and sugar until well combined.
- Add the flour and mix it together until the dough comes together.
- Transfer it to the baking pan and spread it with your hands or the back of a spoon until it fills the base of the pan.
- Prick it over with a fork and bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until it is just turning a golden color near the edges. Remove and let it cool.
Make the Caramel
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in shallow pan that is larger than the pie plate. Fill pan with hot water. Place the pan holding the pie plate into the oven. Carefully so as not to mix the water into the condensed milk. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until thick and caramel-colored.Allow to cool slightly and then gently whisk it until smooth.
Assemble
- Once the shortbread is a bit cool to touch, pour the caramel on top of it and spread evenly . Allow it to cool completely before adding the chocolate topping.
Add the chocolate
- Melt the while chocolate and the semi sweet chocolate separately.
- Pour the white chocolate on top of the caramel and coax it to spread evenly. Then quickly fill a small disposable piping bag with the semi sweet chocolate. Snip off a tiny edge of the piping bag and drizzle the chocolate over the white chocolate,
- Take a toothpick and drag it on top of the white and semi sweet chocolate making swirls.
- Allow to set for a few minutes, then cut into squares or bars and let it chill completely in the refrigerator before serving.