Decadent, indulgent, and super RICH, millionaire’s shortbread sure does live up to its name! Crisp, simple shortbread beneath a pool of chewy homemade caramel and a blanket of thick ganache. Sprinkle everything with a bit of flaky sea salt and you have an irresistible dessert that lives up to every penny of its name!

Millionaire’s Shortbread: The Richest Dessert of Your LIFE
A personal favorite on my website for over 8 years now, I thought my millionaire’s shortbread deserved a photo refresh, though the recipe needed no alteration. It’s gourmet, irresistible, and, yes, super rich!
Why This Recipe Works:
- A shortbread that’s crisp, but not crumbly. The addition of an egg yolk, a blend of granulated and brown sugar, and a splash of vanilla keep the crust from being a true shortbread in the strictest sense, but makes the bars cut cleanly without crumbling and adds to the rich factor.
- Approachable caramel that doesn’t take all day. Unlike my homemade caramel that takes an hour on the stovetop, today’s version is much faster and less fussy.
- Salty-sweet balance. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the ganache keeps things from being too sweet, and makes them absolutely irresistible.
- Like a Twix candy bar, but better. Think MORE shortbread crust, MORE caramel, and MORE chocolate. It’s the adult, gourmet version of a Twix candy bar that you can make completely from scratch.
Jump to:
What You Need
Here’s everything you need to make the best millionaire’s shortbread:

- Condensed milk. This is a key ingredient for making the caramel and provides a bit of a shortcut from traditional caramel. This ingredient cannot be substituted (and please don’t mistakenly use evaporated milk — they look similar and are often sold side by side!).
- Light corn syrup. Light corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup, I think this is important to note (as I personally avoid high fructose corn syrup). Corn syrup is my recommendation, but I suspect glucose syrup could work otherwise.
- Butter. There’s a lot of butter up there, yes, but millionaire’s shortbread is rich and buttery, so it’s on par. Some of that goes into the shortbread crust, while the rest is used for the caramel layer. Important tips below on how to handle your butter properly to prevent a caramel that separates.
- Egg yolk. You’ll need just the yolk — save the white for candied pecans or put it toward a batch of French macarons. This helps keep the shortbread tender and sliceable, and keeps it from just crumbling into pieces when you take a bite.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: Butter that’s just slightly cool still works best for making a shortbread crust that stays crumbly and easy to spread into the pan!
How to Make Millionaire’s Shortbread

- Step 1: Make the shortbread by beating the sugars and butter until they’re well creamed, then stir in the yolk and vanilla. Slowly add the flour, stirring until just combined. You want the mixture to be dry and crumbly (but all flour incorporated), this makes spreading it into the pan much easier!

- Step 2: Press the shortbread into the pan. The easiest way to do this is to sprinkle your crumbly shortbread dough into the pan, cover it with a piece of wax paper, and then use the back of a spoon to smooth the dough into an even layer. If you accidentally went a bit further than recommended with your dough, this will be more difficult to do, but it’s still completely possible!

- Step 3: Make the caramel. Combine all the caramel ingredients (make sure your butter is cut into pieces!) and stir gently but constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture bubbles and is thickened and golden in color (look for 225F on your thermometer). Once you hit this point, remove it from heat immediately, stir in your vanilla, and pour over your shortbread layer.

- Step 4: Make the ganache/finish. Heat chocolate and cream until it’s silky smooth, then spread over the cooled caramel. It’ll be glossy, smooth, and beautiful! Once the ganache has firmed up, add a sprinkle of sea salt on top for good measure (non-negotiable!).
SAM’S TIP: I recommend using a metal pan for cooking your shortbread. A glass pan will take longer to bake and the shortbread may not be as crisp.
Caramel Troubleshooting Tips:
While this is a shortcut caramel that I definitely consider to be an easier version, it’s still possible for things to go wrong. The most common issue people run into is their butter separating while the caramel is cooking, or the caramel looking oily. Here’s how to prevent this:
- Watch the heat! Heating the ingredients too quickly is the quickest way to break your caramel, which is when you’ll notice a separation of the butter. Cutting your butter into pieces so it melts evenly can also help the ingredients heat evenly.
- Stir consistently, but gently. Not stirring enough can cause the caramel to scorch (burn) and can make the caramel lumpy or cause it to separate. Don’t whisk too vigorously or use an electric mixer, though, as you can also break the caramel that way!
- Choose a quality saucepan. Use a heavy-bottomed, quality pan (nothing thin/flimsy) to avoid hot spots that can cause the caramel to cook too fast (which causes the emulsion to break).
Can I save my caramel if it separates?
Sometimes you can still save your caramel. If it looks separated or broken, you can try to fix it. To do this, immediately remove from heat, then whisk in a splash (1-2 Tablespoons) of warm milk or warm water. Do this just a little at a time, whisking gently but quickly to try to bring things back together. If the caramel is scorched or has gone too far, you may not be able to salvage it and will just have to start over.

Frequently Asked Questions
It’s called millionaire’s shortbread because it’s shortbread… only rich! The name is just a fun nod to the super indulgent layers: a buttery crust, a chewy, soft caramel, and that glossy luxe chocolate ganache. Classic shortbread is simple and humble, but this version is upgraded to millionaire status.
Not exactly, but they’re definitely related. Think of my millionaire’s shortbread recipe as a homemade, grown up version of a Twix bar. Both have crisp shortbread bases, a layer of caramel, and a chocolate coating, but millionaire’s shortbread is far more indulgent and more satisfying.

Related Recipes
I’d love to know what you think if you try this recipe! It’s a personal favorite of mine and if you have a sweet tooth like I do, I’m sure you’ll love it too!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜

Millionaire’s Shortbread
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened (but not melty, a little cool still is good)
- ⅓ cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 ¼ cups (280 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 table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line a 13×9 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light, fluffy, and well-creamed.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ⅓ cup (70 g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, packed
- Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat well, pausing to scrape down the sides and mixing until ingredients are well-combined.1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Gradually, with mixer on low-speed, add flour, 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 table salt, 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- Distribute dough evenly into prepared pan and gently, firmly, evenly, press dough into the bottom of the pan. To make this easier, I usually lay a piece of wax paper over the dough and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface (and then remove/discard wax paper).
- Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, until edges are light golden brown. Allow to cool while you prepare your caramel topping.
For the Caramel Layer
- Combine condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low 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 table salt
- Stir frequently until butter is melted and ingredients are well-combined. Continue to stir constantly until mixture has thickened, turned caramel in color, and begins to bubble (do not turn up the heat too high or the mixture could separate). Temperature on an instant-read thermometer should reach 225F (107C). Note this could take 15 minutes or even longer — depends on the specific heat of your stove!
- Remove caramel from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour evenly over prepared shortbread.
- 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.flaky sea salt
- Allow chocolate to firm up (I recommend placing in refrigerator for about 30 minutes — my family prefers these treats refrigerated anyway) before cutting and serving.
Notes
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.
Josephine Bauer
This recipe is delicious! The only thing that didn’t work was when everthing was assembled i was cutting into bars and the carmel layer was separating from the chocolate layer, but GREAT recipe!
Jennifer Gibson
Can you use a 9 x 9 pan?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jennifer! You will probably want to cut the recipe in half for that size pan.
Kelsey
Love these and plan to make again for Xmas, but I think I’ll have to make them ahead due to timing. Any suggestions on storage? Normally I’d freeze or refrigerate things, but I’m worried about the top blooming.
Sam
Hi Kelsey! They will be good at room temperature in an air tight container for 3-5 days. I haven’t personally frozen it. I would wrap it tightly before freezing. To reduce the risk of blooming I would thaw it (covered) in the refrigerator for several hours or even over night before bringing to room temperature. While it could bloom, I think it’s unlikely. 🙂
Lindsey
These were incredible, everyone loved them! Thank you
Pat Ellis
Over the top delicious, but I did have a problem with the butter separating out from the caramel mixture. I had heated the ingredients very slowly with constant stirring, so not sure why this happened. . I was able to save it by mixing in a little cornstarch slurry, and then also stirring vigorously with no or very little heat until the butter reabsorbed. Do you think an extra heavy pan would help prevent this?
Sam
Hi Pat! I’m glad you enjoyed it! A heavy bottom pan does help heat things more evenly which could help keep the butter from separating.
Cindy
This looks great but I won’t have time for the prep as I’m fixing a meal also. I hate to freeze these beautiful cookies… but will they freeze well?
Sam
Hi Cindy! These should freeze without any issues. 🙂
Mike
Sam,
I made this recipe for the first time and everyone loved it. I was very worried about my caramel because I obviously heated it a little quickly because I was getting separation. I was able to rescue it by turning the heat down and really stirring the caramel very fast. It came back together and the bars came out great. That one was on me…. I wasn’t patient enough.
Sam
Great job saving it, Mike! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bars. 🙂
Vicki Diane Vandevelde
can i use this caramelfor filling cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Vicki! That should work. It’s a bit thick so it may come out in kind of a lump when you bite into it. You may want to make it slightly less thick. 🙂
Dee Dee
Can this be made with gluten-free flour? If so, what type would you recommend?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Dee Dee! We haven’t tried it, but we suspect a gluten free 1:1 flour would work just fine here. Let us know how it goes for you!
Connie Myrick
these look amazing! I wanted to know if I already have caramels that I made earlier, can I melt them down and use them in this recipe instead of making new caramel? if so, how do I do that.
thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Connie! They should work. You will want to just melt them and pour them over the prepared shortbread like we do with the homemade version. Enjoy!
Connie S. Myrick
thank you! would you add cream to the caramel to heat it up? it is homemade as well just already set in pieces. thank you for your response.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It’s hard to say. If it’s not thinning out, you could always add a splash!
Hannah
These sound delicious and I can’t wait to try them! An odd question: can these be shipped?
Thank you so much for all you do 🙂
Sam
Hi Hannah! I don’t typically ship baked goods, but I would be concerned that the chocolate and caramel would melt in any bit of heat.
Sweettooth
I end up with a puddle of butter floating on the top of caramel, what am I doing wrong?
Sam
This usually happens if the caramel is heated on too high of a heat or too quickly 🙁
Honey
Can the caramel be made in advance and melted slightly to pour over crust?
Sam
I generally don’t recommend it as reheating it needs to be done very carefully and slowly and just be aware that it’s prone to separating when reheated. Just a heads-up!
Anna
I got up early this morning and made these, then when I got on Instagram, I saw you had posted the recipe today! We must have been on the same wavelength😁😁
It’s the second time I’ve made these, and they’re still great. I’m going to take half of them to work tomorrow for a treat for my friends. Thanks for the recipe!
Erin
Hello. Could I substitute carnation condensed milk for heavy cream in the chocolate layer? That substitution works well for cream pies but wasn’t sure if it would work here. Thanks
Sam
Hi Erin! I have never tried it, but I think it could work. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂