Shortbread Millionaire Bars

Would you pay a Million for one of these bars? Maybe not, but they are, if not one in a million, among the most delicious cookie bars ever. With a layer of shortbread on the bottom, covered with soft, buttery caramel, then topped with chocolate ganache, this creation does the British proud!

shortbread millionaire bars

Scottish Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 sticks quality unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature (the better the butter, the better the shortbread)

1/2 cup fine sugar, or "baker's sugar" (If you can't find this, simply pulse granulated sugar in a blender until very fine. Do NOT use powdered sugar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet or 60% chocolate chips or chopped into small pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract. Sift flour and salt together and then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until mixture comes together, about 2 minutes.

-Spray an 8 × 10-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray. Scoop batter into pan and flatten and press until even, working with your hands or a rubber spatula. Bake in oven for 30 -35 minutes or until the edges are just brown. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool completely. While waiting, prepare the caramel sauce.

Caramel Layer:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white karo syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(for salted caramel, add 1/2 tsp. coarse salt or fleur de sel)

-In a heavy-bottomed, medium-large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in karo syrup, brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Over medium-high heat, stir ingredients until sugar is melted and mixture is smooth. Continue stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Lower heat slightly to medium and continue cooking and stirring until sauce reaches 235 - 240 F degrees on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). It will take 10 - 12 minutes at a boil to reach this stage. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt, if using, then set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Layer (Chocolate Ganache)

3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream 1 cup semi-sweet or 60% chocolate bar, chopped

‍ ‍ -In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium-high heat, where bubbles appear around the edges of the cream. Remove from the heat and pour the chocolate into the cream. Do not stir but let it sit for about 20 minutes until the chocolate is melted. With a whisk, mix the chocolate into the cream until it is very smooth. Set it aside until ready to use.‍

To Assemble the Bars:

-When shortbread is at room temperature, pour the cooled caramel over the shortbread, creating a layer of caramel that is about the same size in depth as the shortbread (about 1/3 inch). Spread the caramel evenly over the shortbread, covering it completely. Let it sit to harden for another 30 minutes.

-Pour the cooled ganache over the top of the caramel layer, smoothing evenly to completely cover the caramel. Let bars sit at room temperature for about an hour before cutting or in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cut into either 2-inch squares or rectangles about 2” by 1”. Makes about 24 bars, depending on the size you cut them.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**For the best Millionaire Bars, aim for a thick, shortbread crust (approx. 1/3-inch), topped with an equally thick or slightly thicker layer of caramel, then finish with a thin layer of chocolate. The key is a roughly equal, generous ratio of crust to caramel for a balanced bite.

-For the correct consistency of the caramel, cook it as described above, to 235 - 240 F. degrees. This will ensure it is thick, chewy, and holds its shape without being too hard or too runny.

-Ganache and Caramel sauce will thicken as they sit, so if you make them ahead of cooking the shortbread (which you absolutely can do), you may have to warm them up very slightly until they are of a pouring consistency when assembling the bars. About 30 - 45 seconds in the microwave should do the trick, or by stirring in a saucepan for 2 minutes over medium heat on the stove.

Add the caramel ingredients to a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat, bringing the caramel to a boil. Stir and continue to boil until the caramel reaches 235 - 240 degrees F, and mixture is very smooth. Remove from heat.

To make the ganche, bring the cream to a simmer, remove from heat, then add the chocolate without stirring. Let sit for 20 minutes then beat in chocolate until ganache is very smooth. Set aside.

Mix the shortbread mixture then spread and pat out evenly in the baking pan. Bake until shortbread is just browning around the edges.

Allow shortbread to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Then pour and smooth the caramel over the shortbread about 1/3 inch thick. Let set about 30 mintues.

Pour the chocolate ganache over the caramel layer then smooth it out evenly.

Let bars sit until completely cool about 1 hour before cutting. Or place in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.

The shortbread layer and the caramel layer should be about the same depth, about 1/3 of an inch each, with a thinner layer of chocolate on the top.

Cut the bars into squares or rectangles and serve at room temperature. What do you think - worth a million? But wait and take a bite first. You may decide that they earned that name because you will want to eat a “million” of them. But not at one sitting please!