Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links and if you go via these links to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I have linked these products because I have tried and would thoroughly recommend them, not because of any commission I may receive. Whether you act on this recommendation or not is completely up to you. Check out my Disclaimer for more information.
Millionaire´s Shortbread – another absolute baking classic here in the UK! I have also heard this bake referred to as Caramel Shortcake or Chocolate Caramel Squares, but here it is known as Millionaire´s Shortbread! These little squares are an absolute indulgence but are perfect to serve alongside a cup of tea! Whilst there are three elements to this bake, it is surprisingly easy to make and well worth the effort!
For those of you who don´t know what Millionaire´s Shortbread is, it´s made with a layer of shortbread biscuit, followed by a layer of caramel, and topped with a thin layer of chocolate. You really need a sweet tooth and it´s best eaten in small amounts, but boooooooooy it tastes so good!!!
Components of Millionaire´s Shortbread – Biscuit, Caramel and Chocolate
Millionaire´s Shortbread has three layers – all delicious in their own right but even better when stacked on top of one another! Biscuit, caramel and chocolate are the three essential components of Millionaire´s Shortbread, yet everyone probably has their own recipe and unique way of making them! So let me talk you through the way I make mine.
Shortbread
I am Scottish, so obviously I have to use my recipe for the best-ever, melt-in-the-mouth Scottish Shortbread that I already published on my blog a while ago. This is a family recipe that I have been making for years and it is always a popular choice in our family! You only need three basic ingredients to make shortbread: butter, sugar and flour! The sugar and flour are mixed in a bowl before the butter is rubbed into the dry ingredients. Evenly dispersing the butter this way results in a short, crumbly texture that will simply melt in the mouth when eating it!
Caramel
To make the sticky caramel layer, butter, brown sugar and condensed milk are melted together and then brought to the boil to thicken. Make sure to stir the mixture throughout to prevent the sugar from caramelising too much/burning. Don´t worry though if it catches slightly, it´ll give the caramel a few dark specks but won´t really alter the flavour, plus you can´t even see it in the end result!
Chocolate
To offset some of the sweetness of the caramel, I use dark chocolate for the final layer of my Millionaire´s shortbread. Dark chocolate gives a really nice result, but if you prefer, you can of course use milk chocolate instead. I also like to melt a little bit of white chocolate to drizzle over and marble into the dark chocolate layer, just to give the Millionaire´s shortbread a nice finish. This step is optional, however, and you can leave it out if you are not fussed about the look (taste is the most important thing anyway)!
Some extra Tips for making Millionaire´s Shortbread
My first extra tip for making Millionaire´s Shortbread is about the best equipment to use. I prefer a square of Millionaire´s Shortbread that isn´t too thick and has roughly equal layers of biscuit and caramel (about 5mm each) and a thin layer (2mm) of chocolate on top. Also; I like the edges to be straight, which is why I´d recommend you invest in an adjustable square cake tin! I have this one by KAISER, which allows you to bake square cakes etc in anything from 24x20cm-46x38cm in size, meaning you only really need this one tin to satisfy all your needs!
This tin allows you to use the 24x24cm size I use in my recipe below, and will give you neat, clean-cut straight edges all around! If you don´t own (or want to invest in) such a tin, you can of course always use a different square/rectangular baking tin/tray that is roughly the same size. If in doubt, use a slightly smaller tin which will give you thicker pieces of Millionaire´s Shortbread. I´d also highly recommend buying a small of-set palette knife to level the surface of your caramel and chocolate. This one from Tala is super cheap and I use it for almost all my baking!
How do you cut Millionaire´s Shortbread without cracking the chocolate?
The second tip relates to cutting the Millionaire´s Shortbread. If the chocolate is completely set, cutting it when it is on top of a soft caramel layer will just cause it to crack! So my top tip for cutting the Millionaire´s Shortbread into squares, is to heat the blade of a knife with warm water and then pressing it gently onto the chocolate layer, melting it rather than actually cutting it! Works a treat and gives you perfect squares – I´ve explained in the recipe below how to do it!
More Classic British Baking Recipes
British Baking has some truly fantastic recipes to offer and I have got quite a few classic British bakes on my blog! Check out some of my favourites below!
- Chocolate Digestive Biscuits
- Viennese Whirls
- Easy No-Bake Trifle
- Paul´s Wagon Wheels Biscuits | Bake Off Technical
- Swiss Roll with Strawberries and Cream
- Mary Berry´s Bakewell Tart with Feathered Icing
- Ginger Nut Biscuits
- Classic Fruit Scones with Orange Zest
- Hot Cross Buns with Extra Fruit and Extra Spice
- Mary´s Lemon Drizzle Cake
- No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake with a Gingernut Base
- Caramelised Onion and Thyme Sausage Rolls
- Cheese and Chive Scones
Millionaire´s Shortbread | British Baking Classic
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE SHORTBREAD:
- 225g plain flour
- 75g caster sugar
- 150g butter, cubed
FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER:
- 100g butter
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 1 tin (394g) condensed milk
FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER:
- 200g dark chocolate
- 25g white chocolate
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
- 24×24 cm square cake tin (I´d recommend this adjustable one)
- Small, off-set palette knife
- Piping bag
- Toothpick or skewer
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C. Adjust your square cake tray to 24x24cm and place it on a sheet of baking paper (or use a tin of similar dimensions).
- To make the shortbread, mix the flour and caster sugar, then toss the cubed butter in the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, break the butter into pieces and rub it into the sugar and flour mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then squeeze and start to bring the mixture together into a dough, although it will still be quite crumbly.
- Tip the dough into the prepared tin and use your hands or the back of a spoon to press the mix down to create an even layer, about 3-5mm in thickness. Then prick all over with a fork.
- Bake the shortbread in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until a light golden-brown colour. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- To make the caramel layer, put the sugar, butter and condensed milk into a pot and set over a low heat. Stirring continuously, gently warm the mixture until the butter has melted completely and everything is well combined. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Make sure to stir continuously to prevent the sugar from burning, and boil for about 1-2 minutes until thick. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and level the surface with a palette knife. Place in the fridge to set.
- Break the dark chocolate into a glass bowl and set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn´t touching the water. Gently heat until the chocolate has completely melted.
- In the meantime, fill a mug with boiling water and put the white chocolate into a piping bag. Submerge the piping bag in the water and let the white chocolate melt in there, making sure no water gets into the opening of the piping bag. Once melted, dry the bag and snip off a small end of the piping bag.
- Pour the melted dark chocolate over the set caramel and use a palette knife to level the surface. Working quickly, before the dark chocolate sets (it will harden quickly if the caramel is very cold), drizzle over the white chocolate, then use a toothpick or skewer to marble the white and dark chocolate. Then leave to set completely.
- You can then cut the Millionaire´s shortbread into squares, I cut mine into 30 small squares. To avoid the chocolate top from cracking, warm the blade of a sharp knife by placing it into a glass of boiling water. Then dry it and place the hot blade onto the chocolate, easing it down gently to melt the chocolate layer slightly. You can then cut the Millionaire´s shortbread into equal pieces to serve.
