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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I hope you enjoy this Millionaire’s shortbread as much as my siblings ultimately did!
Millionaire's Shortbread
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 226g
- 1/3 cup sugar 70g
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 70g
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 260g
Caramel
- 2 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk 825ml
- 14 Tablespoons butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (198g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed (200g)
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup 80ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 340g
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120ml
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 5ml
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter until well creamed.
- Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and stir well, pausing to scrape down the sides and mixing until ingredients are well-combined.
- Add flour, gradually (about 1/2 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.
- 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, and corn syrup in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
- 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).
- Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- 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 medium heat.
- Stir frequently until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow chocolate to cool just slightly for about 5 minutes, and then evenly spread over prepared caramel layer. Wait several minutes and then sprinkle with sea salt.
- 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
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Breathe says
Is it possible to use dark corn syrup instead of light for the caramel?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi! I have not tried it. You SHOULD be ok to substitute with equal amounts of the dark corn syrup. This will probably give the caramel a deeper flavor and will be darker in color. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Aria says
This is an excellent recipe. I’ve never had an issue making the caramel, but I do it at lower heat with a wider nonstick pan and silicone whisk and stop when it pulls away from the sides like the directions say. I also halved the caramel and chocolate ganache and it’s the perfect bite for my taste, half shortbread and half caramel/ganache.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe, Aria! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Louise says
This is a Scottish recipe!!!
Allison Wampler says
Is there anything you can use as a replacement for corn syrup?
Sam says
Some people have used golden syrup or glucose with success.
Kate says
Could I use dark brown sugar in the caramel instead of light?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Kate! Yes, you can. It will just be toffee-like in taste. 🙂
Louise says
Why 14 tablespoons, what other measurement is that? Just looking to make it easier is that 1 cup or more?
Sugar Spun Run says
3 oz. 7/8 (0.875) cup is what you will need. I hope that helps, Louise! 🙂
Adela says
Great recipe- turn out great everyone loved it – i have made it 5 times- i do use a thermometer on the caramel. thanks for the recipe..
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that the shortbread was such a hit, Adela! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Carly says
This was delicious! My caramel took a lot longer to thicken than the recipe stated, but it was worth it! I’ll be pulling this out next time I need to bring a dessert to anything!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you loved the shortbread, Carly! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Alice says
This is above and beyond my most popular bake for friends and coworkers! It’s an amazing and easy to follow recipe. My only problem (which is no fault of the recipe!)e is that the ganache doesn’t set well, making it difficult to transport. But I read up and I think it’s because I live in a super humid environment, so I’m going to try and reduce the amount of cream next time. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed the shortbread, Alice! Humidity could cause issues but it also could be the brand of chocolate you are using as well. Others have reported issues with Nestle more recently. I typically use Ghirardelli. Maybe switch up your brand next time to see if that helps any. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Brittany says
I had a hard time knowing when the caramel was done so I think I ended up overcooking it 🙁 it turned out darker than yours and too chewy. Any tips on how to know when it’s done?
Sugar Spun Run says
Thanks for trying my shortbread recipe, Brittany! I am sorry that you experienced issues when making it. It does sound like you overcooked it. I tend to look for the visual cues to know when it is done…mixture turns a rich caramel color and begins pulling away from the sides.
It normally only takes about 10-15 minutes for me. I will try to make a video of this recipe to help show what to look for. 🙂
Caleb says
Hey! Great recipe… for the chocolate, the vanilla requirement is 1/2 teaspoon with 5ml written beside it, but it should either be 1 teaspoon with 5ml or 1/2 teaspoon with 2.5 ml, I think. Sorry if I’m totally wrong but just wanted to point that out…
Sam says
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Caleb! That would be 1/2 teaspoon/2.5ml, I’ll adjust that.
Wendy says
Can I bake the shortbread in 9×13 ceramic baking dish at that same temperature?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Wendy! The same temperature will be fine. I recommend just keeping an eye on the bake time. Let me know how they shortbread turns out. 🙂
Jennifer White says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for the caramel?
Sam says
Unsalted 🙂
Christina says
I read over many recipes and could tell I liked this one the most. Something I did change up was on the caramel layer I brought my butter to just before browning before slowly adding in the condensed milk so I wouldn’t get a significant drop in temp. Then I incorporated the sugar and corn syrup. Followed the rest and was done in 30 minutes. I used dark brown sugar because that’s what I had on hand. It’s delicious!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed the shortbread, Christina! Thank you for commenting. 🙂