This Millionaire’s Shortbread is the perfect trifecta: Sweet simple, crisp shortbread, rich chewy, homemade caramel, and thick dark chocolate ganache. ย Sprinkle everything off with a scattering of sea salt and you have a decadently rich treatย 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 ย (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. ย Forks hoveringย nervously over their plates, eyes narrowed, skeptical, seeming to suggest — ย It could be an anthrax pie, how can we be sure it’s not?ย So much for gratitude.
But after explaining for the fourth time to my fourth sibling what Millionaire’s shortbread evenย isย (“It’s like a fancy, homemade, gourmet twix bar”)ย 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. ย 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. ย To make things even more decadent, it’s all topped off with a sprinkle of sea salt. ย 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. ย Surprise, it’s not a “true” shortbread. ย 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. ย 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 (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- โ cup (70 g) sugar
- โ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- ยพ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 2 ยผ 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
- โ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup
- ยพ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ยฝ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- sea salt for sprinkling
Recommended Equipment
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.โ cup (70 g) sugar, โ 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, ยพ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add flour, gradually (about ยฝ 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.ยฝ teaspoon salt, 2 ยผ 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, โ cup (80 ml) light corn syrup, ยพ 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. ย 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. ยยฝ 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. ย Wait several minutes/until chocolate begins to set and then sprinkle with sea salt. ยsea 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
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.
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Marie
Hello. This seems like an amazing recipe. I was just wondering what I could replace the corn syrup with as I can’t find any where I live. Thank you!
Sam
Hi Marie! I believe golden syrup or glucose syrup will work here, but I haven’t tried these other methods. Let me know how it goes if you try it. ๐
Magali
I have used maple syrup and it was fantastic!
Jen
You can also use honey, maple syrup or agave syrup. I used honey as a substitution in this recipe!
Henry O Ault
I have made this recipe multiple times, and each time the butter separated from the caramel and I did exactly what the recipe asked and uses the proper amount of ingredients, (Nonetheless the shortbreads were heavenly), so how does one prevent butter separation from happening?
Sam
Hi Henry! There’s a few things that can cause this. The most likely culprit is cooking it too quickly. I know it can be a pain, but patience is key here. Secondly, if you aren’t using a great quality pot it could also cause issues here. I hope this helps. ๐
Synthia
Halved the recipe made in 8×8 square pan, used gram measurements. Amazing. Appropriate temp for chewy caramel is 234-240. Cooked to 234 and perfection. Used milk chocolate for the ganache. Caramel is tricky in general but I had no issues with this recipe.
Pam Owen
Thank you for this tip, will try this next time.
Teresa
The metric conversion for sweetened condensed milk is incorrect. The US uses weight not fluid ounces for condensed milk while Canada and possibly elsewhere use ml so the correct volume would be 600ml
Sam
Thank you for clarifying!
Pam Owen
Thatโs a huge difference! 14 ounces per can x 2=840?
Susan
Thanks so much! This recipe is great – I used honey instead of corn syrup & carnation milk instead of condensed milk…and it still is super yummy!
Magali
I have been making millionaire bars for a few years and they are always special for Christmas. They make great gifts in cute little paper cups. I must say your recipe is better than other ones I have used and my own little touch is twice the amount of chocolate and I used creme fraรฎche instead of the canned stuff. Thank you for posting this recipe it turned out amazing for me! The salt sprinkle on top was new to me and I think it makes it even better! Merry Christmas! Magali
Plasko
It amuses me that you use unsalted butter….then dump salt into it for the shortbread part!
I am amused because North American recipes always have way way too much salt (by at least 10-fold, from my estimation). It seems every layer of your shortbread has salt either dumped into it, or onto it. I almost choked on my coffee laughing. It is not you, it is just culture (I cannot bite an Oreo as they taste like licking a pile of salt to me). Forgive my humor. But you are not helping the blood-pressure of your patrons, using this recipe. I will definitely try this recipe (with 90% less salt), as it does look tasty.
Sam
Hi! Please see see my post on why I use unsalted butter and I think things will make more sense to you ๐
KB
I never comment on recipes but OMG these are incredible!!!!!!! The caramel step took a while for me but I was so glad you said to be patient, it turned out perfectly. Thank you!!
Sam
You’re very welcome, I’m so happy to hear it was such a success for you! Thank you for commenting!
Serena
Hey Sam,
Do you think this is something you can freeze? I think itโll be too much to have around the house at once.
Sam
Hi Serena! Yes this freezes very well. Enjoy! ๐
Steph
My Carmel and chocolate layer fell off and wont stick to the cookie or each other. Help?
Sam
Hmmm that’s really strange. Were any of the layers cold before you added the caramel? This could cause it.
Erica
The taste of these bars is excellent. I’ve been meaning to make millionaire’s shortbread for years. In the future, I would cut the amount of caramel in half for this size of pan. It was a bit much for me, but still tasty. I’d go for equal ratios of the 3 parts, so halving the caramel would get you there. Or doubling the other ingredients for a larger pan and keeping the caramel the same.
Vicky
Just made this and it turned out great! My husband said heโd prefer a thicker shortbread in the ratio but my kids loved it. In answer to the questions about subbing the corn syrup for honey, I did that and it set just perfectly. I stirred on low simmer for about 15 mins until the color look rich and brown and had a thick consistency, then poured onto the shortbread and cooled in the fridge for an hour. Thanks for this yummy decadent recipe!
Charlie Lei-Sha
Could I use milk chocolate chips for the ganache? That’s all I have left and I am too lazy to go to the store :p
Sam
You can use the milk chocolate chips. They are a little bit sweeter but it will still be delicious. ๐
Joe
I just tried the caramel sauce! After the boil I reduced heat and continued to stir, then after 5 mins the butter started separating and coming to the top? What happened? I followed the recipe exactly? 14 tablespoons butter?
Sam
O no! Typically the butter will separate when the caramel is heated too quickly. ๐
Ella Sultana
Hi, Iโm going to make these today and saw the comment about the amount to use for condensed milk
When I put 2.14oz to ml on google it says 67ml and the comment said 600ml instead of the 792ml .. Iโm just not sure how much condensed milk to use!
Thanks
Ella ๐
Sam
Hi Ella! The condensed milk is listed by weight in keeping with the way it is listed on the can and to avoid any confusion in terms of fluid oz etc. So you will either need two 14oz cans (28oz total) or 792grams. I hope that helps!
Rose
When you say stir until caramel pulls away from sides of pot, does that mean thickened gravy pulled away or more like peanut butter pulled away? I’ve been stirring for over an hour and I’m tired haha
Sam
Hi Rose! It’s more like gravy. I’m working on getting a video done for it. ๐
Ashley Smillie
Is there a temperature the caramel should be at when itโs done?
Sam
Hi Ashley! I don’t have a temperature for you because it should be a little more forgiving than a traditional caramel.
Caroline
That’s so funny, I was doing the same thing…..I just gave up and poured it over….fingers crossed it sets up