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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Bars & Brownies

    Millionaire’s Shortbread

    February 20, 2017 Updated September 11, 2019 BySam Merritt 639 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    This Millionaire’s Shortbread is the perfect trifecta: Sweet simple, crisp shortbread, rich chewy, homemade caramel, and thick dark chocolate ganache.  Sprinkle everything off with a scattering of sea salt and you have a decadently rich treat that lives up to every penny of its lucrative name.

    Millionaire\'s Shortbread, a rich and delicious dessert || Sugar Spun Run

    I don’t think (and I’m sure they’ll correct me if I’m wrong) I’ve ever given my siblings anything really bad to eat.

    Sometimes they eat my recipe fails, but only the most edible ones (cupcakes that are just slightly too dense, cookies that are a tad too crumbly), and I never did anything as treacherous as trying to pass off bean brownies for regular brownies, which one of my sisters actually did do to me one time  (a deception I’ll never forgive).

    So it’s slightly insulting to me that, when presented with any dessert that isn’t an obvious cake, cookie, or cupcake, they proceed with severe trepidation.  Forks hovering nervously over their plates, eyes narrowed, skeptical, seeming to suggest —  It could be an anthrax pie, how can we be sure it’s not?  So much for gratitude.

    But after explaining for the fourth time to my fourth sibling what Millionaire’s shortbread even is (“It’s like a fancy, homemade, gourmet twix bar”) not a single one seemed the least bit disappointed when they took their first bite.

    Millionaire\'s Shortbread, a rich and delicious dessert || Sugar Spun Run

    There’s nothing to be disappointed about when it comes to Millionaire’s shortbread.  This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to try my hand at for a while now and after a lot of running around in the kitchen I’m very happy to share it with you.

    I don’t think I need to reiterate the fact that it’s a rich dessert — in fact I suggested to my sisters and brother that they cut each giant square into quarters, because while big squares look pretty in these pictures, they’re so rich that it’s a challenge to actually eat a whole one.

    The shortbread (a faux shortbread, more on that below) is slightly sweetened but serves as the crispy vehicle to transport chewy caramel and a blanket of chocolate ganache.  To make things even more decadent, it’s all topped off with a sprinkle of sea salt.  It’s not called Millionaire’s shortbread for nothing!

     

    Millionaire\'s Shortbread, a rich and delicious dessert || Sugar Spun Run

    As attaining millionaire status can change a person, so it has changed our “shortbread” cookie crust here.  Surprise, it’s not a “true” shortbread.  When I decided to give this classic recipe my own spin, this is one of the first changes I made.

    Classic shortbread is made of only three ingredients — butter, flour, and sugar, but this is Millionaire’s shortbread so we’re making sure it lives up to its name.

    An egg yolk, some brown sugar, and vanilla extract all make this cookie crust extra flavorful, and slightly softer than standard shortbread as well.  Because of the added ingredients, your finished millionaire’s shortbread will cut more easily than standard shortbread (which usually breaks unevenly with jagged edges and scatters crumbs everywhere) but is still crisp and snappy beneath the soft chocolate and chewy caramel.

    Andi liked the cookie layer so much she asked me to make her a pan of just that alone, nothing else.

    Millionaire\'s Shortbread, a rich and delicious dessert || Sugar Spun Run

    I really wish that I could photograph the processes for these multi-step recipes — a picture of how the crumbled cookie dough should look, the caramel at its peak just before pouring it over the shortbread, the glossy chocolate ganache, etc… but since I only have two days of the week to shoot 3-4 recipes, I usually have to prepare the food Friday night, and there’s no light to take decent pictures then.

    To make up for this, I try to include very detailed descriptions in the recipe, and you can always shoot me an e-mail, leave a comment, or drop by my Facebook page if you have any questions.

    That being said, I don’t really think you’ll have any problem with this recipe, the trickiest part is the caramel and it doesn’t even require a candy thermometer!

    Millionaire's Shortbread, a rich and delicious dessert || Sugar Spun Run

    I hope you enjoy this Millionaire’s shortbread as much as my siblings ultimately did!

    Two squares of millionaires shortbread stacked on top of each other with the top square missing one bite.

    Millionaire's Shortbread

    Millionaire’s shortbread consists of a crisp shortbread base, chewy homemade caramel filling, and thick chocolate ganache top. It’s a decadently rich treat that lives up to every penny of its name!
    Recipe includes a how-to video!
    4.89 from 322 votes
    Print Pin Rate
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    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 28 pieces
    Calories: 298kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    Shortbread Crust

    • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
    • ⅓ cup (70 g) sugar
    • ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 ¼ cups (260 g) all-purpose flour

    Caramel

    • 2 14-oz cans (792 g) sweetened condensed milk
    • 14 Tablespoons (198 g) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
    • 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar packed
    • ⅓ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Chocolate Ganache

    • 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
    • ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
    • sea salt for sprinkling

    Recommended Equipment

    • 13x9 pan
    • Medium-sized saucepan

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
    • Using an electric mixer, beat butter until well creamed.
      1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
    • Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
      ⅓ cup (70 g) sugar, ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
    • Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and stir well, pausing to scrape down the sides and mixing until ingredients are well-combined.
      1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Add flour, gradually (about ½ cup at a time), pausing to scrape down sides of bowl. Halfway through the addition of the flour, sprinkle in the salt with the beater still running. Don't over-beat the dough, you want it to be slightly crumbly to make it easier to press into the pan.
      ½ teaspoon salt, 2 ¼ cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
    • Drop dough over prepared pan and gently, firmly, evenly, press dough into the bottom of the pan.  To make it easier, I usually lay a piece of wax paper over the dough and use the palm of my hand to smooth the surface (and then discard wax paper).
    • Bake on 350F (177C) for 20-25 minutes -- edges should be lightly golden brown.
    • Allow to cool while you prepare your caramel topping.

    Caramel

    • Combine condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
      2 14-oz cans (792 g) sweetened condensed milk, 14 Tablespoons (198 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ⅓ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup, ¾ teaspoon salt
    • Stir frequently until butter is melted and ingredients are well-combined. Continue to stir constantly until mixture begins to boil (this could take several minutes, but you don't need to increase the heat).
    • Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer (slowly bubbling), still stirring constantly.  Continue to stir 10-15 minutes until mixture turns a rich caramel color and has thickened (should begin pulling away from the sides of the pot as you stir). If using a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 225F (107C)
    • Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract.
      1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pour evenly over prepared shortbread, use a knife to spread evenly if needed.
    • Allow to cool at room temperature for several hours or in the refrigerator for 1 hour before topping with chocolate.

    Chocolate Topping

    • Combine chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat.  
      ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
    • Stir frequently until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  
    • Remove from heat and allow chocolate to cool just slightly for about 5 minutes, and then evenly spread over prepared caramel layer.  Wait several minutes/until chocolate begins to set and then sprinkle with sea salt.  
      sea salt for sprinkling
    • Allow chocolate to harden (I recommend placing in refrigerator for about 30 minutes -- my family prefers these treats refrigerated anyway) before cutting and serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1piece | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    Caramel Millionaire's Shortbread bar. Layer of shortbread, caramel, and chocolate topped with sea salt.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jodie

      March 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm

      I was in need of a good shortbread crust recipe so I use the one for these bars to make a simple pie plate cheese cake and it worked great. Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Allison

      February 01, 2025 at 8:57 am

      1 star
      I am a pretty experienced baker, and this recipe was an epic disaster. I followed exactly what it said to do while making the caramel…first try I completely burnt the pot. It almost had to throw pot out. Went to the store and had to buy more ingredients, which was not cheap. Second try watched a lot more carefully, and yet again the sauce started to burn. I was able to salvage before it was too late. I chilled overnight, and when cutting the sauce is oozing out. It just will not set up. Would not make this recipe again with all the work involved.

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 04, 2025 at 2:43 pm

        I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Allison! It sounds like your stove top heat may be a little high. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
    3. Jody

      January 04, 2025 at 12:44 am

      do you think if I cook the caramel sauce to 238ยฐC, will I get caramels that I can pour into a pan, cool, cut and eat? similar to your homemade caramels recipe?

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 09, 2025 at 12:24 pm

        Hi Jody! It will be a little softer than the homemade caramels, but I think it could work. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Josephine

      January 03, 2025 at 3:01 pm

      4 stars
      These are SOO DELICIOUS!! The only thing i am having trouble with is the carmel layer is separating from chocolate layer any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 07, 2025 at 4:18 pm

        I’m so sorry to hear this is happening, Josephine. Is your caramel layer getting too hot? That could cause your separation. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
        • Josephine Bauer

          January 07, 2025 at 8:46 pm

          4 stars
          I heated my caremel slowly but carmel layer stil separated from chocolate layer sadly๐Ÿ˜ข

    5. Robin

      January 02, 2025 at 6:58 pm

      5 stars
      Soooo delicious! Perfect for NYE or any occasion. The dessert definitely has Twix vibes, but the flaky sea salt takes it to the next level. Thanks for the video – highly recommended to watch beforehand. The caramel took me about 25 minutes, but couldโ€™ve been heat a bit too low. Love this!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        January 03, 2025 at 10:19 am

        We are so happy you enjoyed it, Robin! โค๏ธ

        Reply
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    4.89 from 322 votes (183 ratings without comment)

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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